He Walked the Walk
A tribute to Roger Reeder by Rick Barry and Linda Cox
For Roger Reeder, the keys to continued health and happiness were not fad vitamins, miracle diet programs, or even an expensive sports car. His answer was much simpler--nourish a cheerful and positive outlook, be as generous as you can to family and friends, keep your mind active, and walk or run a few miles at the crack of dawn every day for over 40 years at the Greenbrier Park/Yorktown High School Track.
Roger Reeder, who died in Arlington in January 2005, was a phenomenon and a role model for us all, young and old alike. He was a World War II, D-Day, and Korean War veteran who came to Fort Myer with his wife Rosemary in 1962. A U.S. Army colonel, he retired in 1963, purchased a home on North 41st Street, and worked as an English teacher and debating coach at Edison High School. He and his wife Rosemary were regulars at the Yorktown track -- he would run while she walked. Following his wife's death, Roger became a stalwart walker, usually around 6:00 a.m. Three of the Reeders' six children and another three grandchildren attended or attend Yorktown, enjoying the same track facility favored by Roger.
Following Roger's death, Rick Barry, who self-trained at the track in preparation for climbing Mt. Kiliminjaro in 1978, along with his wife Linda Cox and Arlington attorney Gerald Williams--all daily track users for many years-- organized a 200-citizen petition to honor Roger's memory.
"What is so amazing about this person," says Barry," is that he hit the track virtually every day until just a few weeks before his death at age 92." When Roger had to undergo major surgery, his son John recalls, a Walter Reed Hospital doctor told him that they could not have done the procedure on his father at his age had he not been so physically fit and mentally sharp.
Linda Cox, former U.S. Marine Corps Marathoner and current daily Yorktown Track walker, noted, "Some mornings, we just didn't feel like getting up to get our exercise routine done before breakfast, whether in order to beat the heat of the sun in the summer or to avoid the filling up of the high school parking lot during the rest of the year. But an inner voice always said, 'Well, if Roger is getting himself ready at the track right now, why shouldn't you?' And when we got there, Roger was already walking or soon to arrive."
Other track regulars -- some fast runners, some slow walkers, and some in between -- express similar sentiments. Shirley Geer, another former Marine Corps Marathoner, said "Roger was truly a great inspiration to all of us -- especially at 6 in the morning when he always offered a quote from Twain, Longfellow, or even the President. A great way to start the day."
Rick Barry, who would slow his pace to join Roger for his last laps, added, "We would talk about the issues of the day, literature, and fond memories of teaching at Edison High School. He was such a model for physical and mental fitness."
During those laps, Roger would inquire about the whereabouts of other track users. He knew them all and personally cared. He was the erstwhile teacher, who still took attendance in a kindly and encouraging way, just to make sure that people were absent because of travel or short-term commitments and that, indeed, all was well with their lives.
In the last weeks of Roger's life, when his friendly face was missing from the track, the roles became reversed. As Barry recalls, "Everyone was saying, 'Have you heard how Roger's doing?' 'When will he be back?' We became the ones who were missing and worrying about him!"
Following the recommendation of the Arlington Park & Recreation Commission, the County Board approved the dedication of a memorial plaque honoring Roger Reeder. A 12" x 12" bronze plaque honoring Roger Reeder has been placed outside the track and will be dedicated during the official opening of the new Yorktown High School Track at Greenbrier Park on September 15, 2007.
