Albert T. Reihs Memorial Scholarship

This permanent endowment scholarship was established on May 3, 1973, in memory of Albert T. Reihs, and his service to the children of the Franklin Pierce School District. Contributions have been received from the family and friends of Mr. Reihs, businesses in the community, and employees of the Franklin Pierce School District. The Franklin Pierce Education Association gave $1000 to help in the establishment of the fund.

The scholarship will be awarded to two graduates – one each from Franklin Pierce High School and Washington High School.

• Must have attended school in the Franklin Pierce School District as a graduating senior.
• Must have demonstrated a minimum accumulated grade point average of 2.5 for the last three years of high school
• Must have demonstrated evidence of good citizenship while in school, as evidenced by well-rounded participation in student activities
• Must plan to complete an approved educational program beyond high school
• Must be of good moral character

The Faculty Scholarship Committee of each high school will select one recipient and one alternate annually. The scholarship shall be awarded to the alternate selected if the primary award winner does not meet the requirements of the scholarship.

Those of us who knew him and his work have no difficulty in saying the following about Albert T. Reihs: “As teacher and administrator, his record in the schools of this area is unsurpassed for his length of service, his variety of service, and his example of selfless devotion of duty.”

His life belonged to the school system of this area.  Most of his life, until he first came to Midland, was in preparation for his work here. The oldest of eight children, he was born on January 8, 1905 in the farmlands of Irby, Lincoln County, Washington.  Determined to attend high school (no small problem in that day and place), he left home at age thirteen to go to Spokane.  There he made his own way, working on farms and in school lunchrooms.  When he finished high school he attended junior college for one year before entering Bellingham Normal.  After graduating from Bellingham Normal in 1927, he taught in Odessa, Washington for three years.  His school in Odessa had one room for grades one through eight. His salary as both teacher and janitor was $60.00 per month.

Mr. Reihs attended Washington State College and obtained both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. After leaving Washington State College in 1933, he taught high school at Ritzville, Washington for a brief time before being called to Midland that same year.

When he started at Midland, he taught a seventh grade class of 55 students in a single classroom at a starting salary of $75.00 per month.

In 1936, Mr. Reihs married Helen Post, who thereafter shared not only his home, but most of his after-hour school duties for the remainder of his career.

At Midland, he was not only a teacher. Apart from his many advisory and extra-curricular duties, he was also a bus driver and 4-H leader.

In 1952, Mr. Reihs transferred to neighboring Central Avenue, where he served as principal. Midland’s enrollment then totaled 600 students in grades kindergarten through nine.  He remained there until June 1968, when he retired, completing 35 years of service in the Midland area.

Mr. Reihs died on August 12, 1972.

Among the awards he received were the P.T.A. Outstanding Service Award and the Golden Acorn Award.

The above history and awards, impressive as they are, are not really the measure of the man, Albert T. Reihs, but rather, the multiplication of a number of facts and incidents about him (some great and some trivial) that give a glimpse of what he was, and what he meant to the schools of this area.

• Incredibly, Mr. Reihs missed only one P.T.A. meeting in his 39-year career (and his wife attended that one).
• He served wholly without compensation for expense money for seven full years as a W.E.A. Pierce County Treasure, traveling throughout the county collecting dues.
• He served as Franklin Pierce Education Association Treasurer for the first ten years of its existence.
• Examine the student attendance records he kept; they are meticulous, showing great evidence of the steadfast devotion to every detail of his job, even the least and most tedious.
• Talk to his students. Many carry throughout their lives the imprint of his enthusiasm for teaching and subject matter, particularly in algebra and science.
• Talk to those who served as teachers when he was a principal. They will tell of his industry, his concern, and his gentleness: “We didn’t work for him, we worked with him.”

Each hour of each long-working day for 39 years, Albert T. Reihs attended to the vexing detail, and rose to the enormous challenge of the difficult business of education – with love, and with zeal. We need people like him.  He is missed.

• Receipt of a completed Scholarship Acceptance Form will hold this scholarship for the student. The scholarship can be held no longer than 16 months after June 30th of the year of graduation from high school.
• Upon receipt of Proof of Enrollment Form including a student ID number, funds will be released to the institution in the name of the student.