Thomas Hedley Reynolds died Tuesday, Sept. 22, at his home in Newcastle, Maine, after a long illness. He was 88 years old. Mr. Reynolds was born in New York, the son of the late Wallace and Helen (Hedley) Reynolds. He attended The Browning School in New York City and Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1938. In 1942 he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Williams College.

Mr. Reynolds enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and was decorated for his service as a unit commander in a tank battalion that fought in the Mediterranean theater. After the war, he earned a master’s degree in 1947 and a doctorate in history in 1953, both from Columbia University.

Mr. Reynolds joined the history faculty at Middlebury College in 1949. He remained at Middlebury for 18 years, becoming dean of men in 1957 and dean of the college in 1964.  Mr. Reynolds served as the fifth president of Bates College from 1967 through 1989.  He became the third president of the University of New England from 1990 to 1995.  His signature achievement at UNE was the construction of the Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences.

Mr. Reynolds served as a director of the Public Broadcasting Service in Washington, D.C.,  as a trustee and chairman of the board of WCBB-TV in Lewiston; a member and director of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; a director and president of the New England Colleges Fund; and as chair of the Governor’s Special Commission on the Status of Education in Maine.  Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds owned a home in Duxbury as well as their home in Maine.  

Mr. Reynolds leaves his wife, Mary Bartlett Reynolds; his sons, Thomas Scott Reynolds of West Tisbury, John Hedley Reynolds of Stannard, Vt. and the late David Hewson Reynolds; his daughter, Tay R. Simpson of Randolph, Vt.; his sister, Elizabeth Reynolds Henderson of Locust Valley, N.Y.; and his ex-wife and mother of his children, Jean Lytle of Randolph, Vt.

A memorial service was held in the College Chapel at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Thomas Hedley Reynolds Professorship in History, in care of the Office of College Advancement, Bates College, 2 Andrews Rd., Lewiston, ME 04240 or to the scholarship fund at the University of New England in President Reynolds’ memory, in care of Scott Marchildon, assistant vice president of institutional advancement, UNE, 716 Stevens Ave., Portland, ME 04103.