Wyant College Announces William F. and Helen M. Reynolds Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences
Tucson, AZ - With friends and faculty present, the Wyant College of Optical Sciences celebrated the establishment of the William F. and Helen M. Reynolds Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences with the endowment’s donor, Robert O. Reynolds (M.S. 2003).
Robert’s gift to establish the endowment was matched with a gift made by Dr. James C. Wyant and his family as part of a special campaign launched in November 2018. The Wyant family made a $20 million donation and offered it as a matching gift to collaborating donors who would establish a new faculty endowed chair in optical sciences. The Reynolds’ Chair was the campaign’s final announcement of which resulted in 14 new endowed chairs in optical sciences, each with an endowment balance of $2million.
View the full list of the College's Endowed Chairs here.
William F. Reynolds, M.D., was raised in Chicago, Illinois. While his parents were strong supporters of William’s academic ambitions, the Depression era affected the family’s savings. William then used his aptitude for competitive mathematics tests to earn a university scholarship that included graduate school. Although a gifted musician and accomplished at science, art, and mathematics, he chose medicine as his field of study at the University of Chicago. Post-graduation, William served in World War II, and then became a faculty member at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. To satisfy his passion to help others, he moved into private and hospital practice, specializing in cancer diagnosis and therapy.
Helen M. Reynolds grew up in Columbus, Ohio and pursued a nursing education at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati to fulfill a desire to help others. During her clinical work, she met William Reynolds, an intern, and they were married shortly afterward. She retired from nursing to raise a family but remained an active volunteer with medical organizations and with caregiving.
As a tribute to William and Helen’s compassionate care for the well-being of many, including himself, their son, Robert, gratefully established the William F. and Helen M. Reynolds Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences.
Robert earned degrees in Engineering, Physics, and Optical Sciences, receiving a Masters of Science from Wyant College in 2003. He dedicated much of his career to the development of optical instruments for astronomical and planetary science research and for national defense programs. Presently, he is working as an Instrument Support Engineer at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory.
“This endowed chair named for William and Helen Reynolds will allow us to expand our programming and deepen our faculty strength in a subject that is of tremendous interest to our students and of great relevance and importance to the larger community," said Thomas L. Koch, dean, Wyant College.
"This gift made by our alumnus, Robert Reynolds, is a wonderful affirmation of the strength of our faculty, programs, and scholarship in this important field of optical sciences," Koch added.
For more information, contact:
Kaye Rowan, Executive Director of Development
University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences
520-626-8754
rowan@optics.arizona.edu
