Robert Reynolds

Fair Reed

All hail, Alma Mater, new born of the West
Where the mighty Columbia flows,
Thou fortunate heir of the pioneers' quest,
All hail to the griffin and rose.
Thou wilt cherish thine own through woe and through weal,
Thou wilt throw on the pathway a light,
Never dimming the truth thru a partisan's zeal,
Never doubting the triumph of right.

Thru the joy and the stress of the years by thy side,
Thou wilt watch, thou wilt wait, thou wilt pray,
But thy dear mother heart in the faith will abide
That thy children will bless thee alway;
For we love thee, we love thee, we love only thee,
With a love that none other hath known,
And we'll strive for thy honor undaunted and free,
Till our striving hath made thee our own.

When our steps have o'ertaken the beckoning years
Tho we've wandered afar from thy halls,
Returning we'll share all thy hopes and thy fears
And give heed to thy summoning calls.
In the strength of maturity then we shall bring
Grateful hearts and forget not thy meed.
Worthy tribute we'll lay at thy feet as we sing
To thee, Alma Mater, Fair Reed!

Ex-president Wm. T. Foster

Note: "Fair Reed" is sung to the tune of "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms." Spelling above is as in my source; William Trufant Foster, first president of Reed, advocated phonetic spelling, so the spelling may well be as composed. In my thirty six years at Reed, I have heard "Fair Reed" sung (in part) -- as best I can recall -- exactly once: by Victor Rosenblum, on the occasion of his inauguration as President of Reed.
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