SHERBURNE – Community members lit candles and gathered together under a black sky laden with bloated rain clouds in somber remembrance of long-time high school principal Keith Reed Jr. The crowd massed outside of the Sherburne-Earlville high school auditorium Wednesday night and silently made its way down the steep hill, coming to a halt outside the high school’s main entrance.
“He was a kind-hearted man with a warm spirit.” said one S-E student before the assembled crowd. “His smile glowed as he walked through the halls of Sherburne-Earlville. The last three letters of principal best describes who he was – he was a pal.”
Reed, 51, was found dead outside his home in Clymer Monday morning. Authorities have ruled his death a homicide, and an investigation continues. After leaving S-E in 2011, Reed had assumed the position of superintendent in the Clymer school district.
Mike Rodriguez spoke next at last night’s vigil, his strong words reverberating heartfelt sorrow and frustration through the audience. “Why, why, why!” he began. But Rodriguez reminded his audience that Reed would have wanted them to “treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of if they deserve it, because it is who we are.”
Rodriguez then read a letter that Reed wrote in 2011 before he left S-E. “After my accident, it was the compassion of the community that allowed me to return to work,” wrote Reed after recovering from a motorcycle accident that left him in a coma. “No matter where I go, I will always remember S-E and be proud to have been part of it.”