Albert Clayton Reid Papers
Albert Clayton (A. C.) Reid was an alumnus of Wake Forest College (1917), Philosophy Department chair at Wake Forest for 46 years, and an author. This collection contains biographical information, correspondence, his literary productions (including articles, speeches, memorials, and prayers), certificates of membership, student papers, gradebooks, subject files, Wake Forest University files, and his Wake Forest College diploma.
Biographical and Historical Note
Albert Clayton Reid, often known as A. C. Reid, was born July 26, 1894, in Davidson County, N.C. He graduated from Wake Forest College in 1917 and that same year, he was hired by Wake Forest to teach in education and philosophy there. Reid was appointed associate professor of the new School of Philosophy (1920-1921) and later made professor of philosophy (1925) at theCollege. He went on leave (1921) to attend Cornell University and receive his doctorate.
When he returned to Wake Forest in 1921, Reid, collaborating with the N.C. Department of Education, created the first summer school training program for public school teachers at Wake Forest. In 1925, he was appointed as director of Wake Forest's Summer School in New Bern, N.C. He was Wake Forest's only teacher within the Philosophy and Psychology department in the early 1940s and when the two disciplines split to become independent in April 1957, he joined the Philosophy Department and served as chair until his retirement in 1965. He was briefly a visiting professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as well. Reid authored several books, including Christ and the Present Crisis (1936), Elements of Psychology (1938), Invitation to Worship (1942), Resources of Worship (1948), 100 Chapel Talks (1955), and Christ and Human Values (1961).
Outside of his professional activities, Reid was active in the College and local communities. He was named head of the Loyalty Building Fund (1930), which recruited donations for the construction of two new campus buildings for activities and physical education. In 1941, he was one of the inaugural members of the College's Phi Beta Kappa chapter. When Wake Forest relocated to Winston-Salem, Reid chose to commute during the week to the new campus, with his wife and family remaining in Wake Forest. Reid also served as a guest minister at various Baptist churches. The A. C. Reid Philosophy Fund, a gift by friends prior to his retirement, raised $50,000 to support book purchases and guest lectures. He was married to Eleanor Frances Jones (1923) and they had two children, Eleanor Frances (Farrow) and Albert Clayton, Jr. Reid died March 19, 1988, in Wake Forest, N.C. and is buried in Wake Forest Cemetery.
Sources:
- Shaw, Bynum. The History of Wake Forest College, Volume IV, 1943-1967. 1988. Available in Z. Smith Reynolds Library's Digital Collections.
- "Wake Forest Cemetery Historical Listings, Compiled by the Wake Forest Cemetery Advisory Board." Available online at https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/cemetery_advisory_board/historical-listings.pdf.
Collection Overview
This collection contains biographical information, correspondence, Reid's literary output including articles, speeches, memorials, and prayers, certificates of membership, student papers, gradebooks, subject files, Wake Forest University files, and his Wake Forest College diploma.
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Subjects
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by: John Woodard; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex, 2004
- Access Restrictions
- This collection is open for use.
- Copyright Notice
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- Preferred Citation
- Albert Clayton Reid Papers (MS409), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.