Herbert Hal Reynolds (March 20, 1930 – May 25, 2007) was an American academic administrator who worked as the president of

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of th ...

from 1981 to 1995.

Early life and education

Reynolds was born March 20, 1930, in

Frankston, Texas Frankston is a town in Anderson County, Texas, United States. With a population of 1,126 at the 2020 United States census, it is one of the principal communities of the county area. History Two theories are given as to how Frankston got its name ...

. He graduated from Trinity University in 1952 and received an M.A. in

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

from Baylor University in 1958, followed by a PhD in 1961.

Career

From 1952 to 1956, Reynolds served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

and was an advisor for the

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warf ...

. From 1956 to 1959, he was an assistant professor at Baylor, and from 1958 to 1961 he was a teaching fellow. In 1961, he became deputy commander and director of research at Aeromedical Research Laboratories in

Alamogordo, New Mexico Alamogordo () is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population ...

, where he worked on

Project Mercury Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...

Project Gemini Project Gemini () was NASA's second human spaceflight program. Conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, Gemini started in 1961 and concluded in 1966. The Gemini spacecraft carried a two-astronaut crew. Ten Gemini crews and 16 individual ...

and Project Apollo. He also worked as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

at Baylor and the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. He served as commander and director of plans at the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory in 1968. In 1969, he became executive vice-president of Baylor University. From 1981 to 1995, he served as its president. Under his leadership, Baylor University expanded significantly, added women's sports programs, and joined the Big Twelve Conference. He also moved to limit the

Baptist General Convention of Texas The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) is the oldest surviving Baptist convention in the state of Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance. In 2009, the BGCT began to also go by the name ...

control of the university by changing the university's charter in 1990. He served as its chancellor from 1995 to 2000. From 1994 to 1997, he was a visiting scholar at

Wolfson College, Cambridge Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...

. He served as chairman of the

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C.. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it has over 1,000 independent hig ...

and the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas. From 1995, he was chair of the Texas Commission on Judicial Efficiency and a member of the Texas Select Committee on Higher Education. He was also a trustee of the

Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a medical school and research center in Houston, Texas, within the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center. BCM is composed of four academic components: the School of Medicine, the Graduate S ...

, a director of Community Bank and Trust of Waco, and a deacon and former deacon chairman of the First Baptist Church of Waco. He was a 33rd degree Mason.

Personal life

Reynolds and his wife, Joy, married in 1950 and had three children, including director and screenwriter Kevin Reynolds. He died in May 2007. Joy died in April 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Herbert H. 1930 births 2007 deaths People from Anderson County, Texas Baptists from Texas Baylor University faculty University of New Mexico faculty Fellows of Wolfson College, Cambridge Presidents of Baylor University 20th-century Baptists 20th-century American academics