Dr. Laura Noble Banks Reed

Recorded by AAMSAZ

I received a call from Dr. Flavia Batteau Walton ( a Native Tucsonan who lives in the DC area) on the evening of Friday, April 14, 2023, that we had lost another friend and supporter of the museum, Dr. Laura (Noble) Banks Reed! She asked me to call friends here in Tucson to let them know. I am sure so many of us knew her well. 

What a beautiful spirit Laura was, and she lived to be 101+ years old. I had the pleasure of being with her on a birthday or two, usually by coincidence. Back in 1986, we were on a trip together with the University of Arizona Alumni Association with Laura and her sister Rose. You could hear the grumbles as I loaded small children on the plane. We had a great time looking out for Laura and her sister. This trip took us to LA on to Hawaii for a few days, a stop to watch the U of A baseball team in Taiwan, and then on to Japan. We were surprised when we heard cheers just before we landed back in Tucson, as Laura presented our children with a certificate for being so helpful and well-behaved on the trip! Oh.. and when she remarried at the ripe old age of 80+, we were in Texas at her beautiful wedding to hear an unbelievable “Love Story” ( those are her words) as she married Eugene Reed. For years we talked often and exchanged cards. If you knew Laura, she never missed your birthday! When I told her about the museum, she was so excited and expressed how proud she was of me and encouraged me to move forward with the project and told me that she would provide me with the name of her friend who had her photos from her book so that we could use them at the museum.

I am so glad I captured her story, in her 100-year-old, nails did, hair together, dressed to the nines outfit, as I recorded her oral history! I will miss you, my friend.

Sincerely,

Beverely Elliott, Executive Director