(no subject)
Theresa Reed, 29, activist, dies
By ROBERT WILSON, rlwilson2594@msn.com
November 24, 2005
For Theresa LaFayette Reed, the community and the individuals that make it up were foremost in her mind.
And though her life was short, she had an impact on many lives among Knoxville's less fortunate people.
Theresa Reed died Sunday. She was 29.
Ms. Reed, who attained a degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee, was a former employee of the Book Warehouse and was guardian for three of her nieces and nephews, her mother, Betty Reed, said.
Theresa Reed never had any children of her own, her mother said, but "she was always there for others.
"She was the most precious child you could ever meet," she said. "She was a prime example for the young adults of Knoxville."
A person of what her mother called "high hopes and aspirations," Theresa Reed always maintained an optimistic outlook.
"This is a great loss for the community," Reed said.
Ms. Reed was born with a congenital heart defect, her mother said, and she was told when Theresa was born that the child would not live to be 3 years old.
She exceeded that expectation almost 10 times over, just as, her mother said, she exceeded many other expectations in life.
Bob Davis, a co-worker with Ms. Reed in the Citizens for Police Review organization, said he was planning to take Ms. Reed to Nashville Monday for her regular visit to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she was on the list for a heart-lung transplant. But a day earlier, she died.
"I am thankful for every day that my daughter lived," Reed said, "and it was still not long enough."
Ms. Reed was active in supporting residents of the Austin Homes housing project and other areas in East Knoxville.
Her work for Citizens for Police Review followed the death of a cousin in a confrontation with Knoxville police a few years ago. The group is credited with helping persuade the city government to create the Police Advisory Review Commission.
Ms. Reed also helped produce "Cop Watch," a program on cable TV's community access station.
She was on the Board of Racial Equality and had chaired a workshop in Knoxville called Dismantling Racism. She was co-founder of Sincere 7, a workers' rights organization, and was part of the Commission on Religion in Appalachia.
"She was a warrior in a 90-pound body," said Davis, a past president of Citizens for Police Review. "She was all about people respecting those who live in all of East Knoxville."
By ROBERT WILSON, rlwilson2594@msn.com
November 24, 2005
For Theresa LaFayette Reed, the community and the individuals that make it up were foremost in her mind.
And though her life was short, she had an impact on many lives among Knoxville's less fortunate people.
Theresa Reed died Sunday. She was 29.
Ms. Reed, who attained a degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee, was a former employee of the Book Warehouse and was guardian for three of her nieces and nephews, her mother, Betty Reed, said.
Theresa Reed never had any children of her own, her mother said, but "she was always there for others.
"She was the most precious child you could ever meet," she said. "She was a prime example for the young adults of Knoxville."
A person of what her mother called "high hopes and aspirations," Theresa Reed always maintained an optimistic outlook.
"This is a great loss for the community," Reed said.
Ms. Reed was born with a congenital heart defect, her mother said, and she was told when Theresa was born that the child would not live to be 3 years old.
She exceeded that expectation almost 10 times over, just as, her mother said, she exceeded many other expectations in life.
Bob Davis, a co-worker with Ms. Reed in the Citizens for Police Review organization, said he was planning to take Ms. Reed to Nashville Monday for her regular visit to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she was on the list for a heart-lung transplant. But a day earlier, she died.
"I am thankful for every day that my daughter lived," Reed said, "and it was still not long enough."
Ms. Reed was active in supporting residents of the Austin Homes housing project and other areas in East Knoxville.
Her work for Citizens for Police Review followed the death of a cousin in a confrontation with Knoxville police a few years ago. The group is credited with helping persuade the city government to create the Police Advisory Review Commission.
Ms. Reed also helped produce "Cop Watch," a program on cable TV's community access station.
She was on the Board of Racial Equality and had chaired a workshop in Knoxville called Dismantling Racism. She was co-founder of Sincere 7, a workers' rights organization, and was part of the Commission on Religion in Appalachia.
"She was a warrior in a 90-pound body," said Davis, a past president of Citizens for Police Review. "She was all about people respecting those who live in all of East Knoxville."