Anthony Reid

From: Michael Montesano via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2025 6:58 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: [Vsg] ARI memorial page for Tony Reid

The message below is in from the current director of NUS's Asia Research Institute, of which Professor Reid served as founding director. Please do share it.

---------- Forwarded message ---------

Dear Colleagues,

I am very sorry to share news that Anthony Reid died in Canberra on Sunday 8th June. An eminent historian of Southeast Asia, Tony was ARI’s founding director and led the institute between 2002 and 2007. Although he retired from NUS in 2009, Tony continued to inspire and mentor many ARI researchers and alumni. He will be widely remembered as an exemplary scholar and wonderful human being.

ARI has created a home on our website for condolences and memories of Tony. Please send your tribute to clairh@nus.edu.sg. If you're providing a photo, please keep it under 2MB in size and ideally in JPG or PNG format.

I would be grateful if you could forward this message to others in your networks who might wish to contribute.

In grief,

Tim

Tim BUNNELL

From: David Marr via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2025 5:47 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Anthony Reid

Tony Reid was responsible, along with with Prof.Wang Gungwu, for bringing me to the ANU in 1975. In 1980, we together visited universities in China for three weeks. Tony and I co-managed several publication efforts, and we shared some teaching initiatives.

Tony recruited me to a university tennis group in the late 1970s, and was back on the court here when he and Helen returned from Singapore and LA.

We will miss Tony a lot.

David Marr

From: David Del Testa via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2025 11:37 AM
To: Nhung Tran <nhungtuyet.tran@utoronto.ca>
Cc: vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Anthony Reid

At a sad time, a small anecdote to perhaps evoke a small smile. During the 2002-2003 academic year, I believe, I served as the interim Assistant Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UCLA while Barbara Gaerlan participated in a Fulbright program in the Philippines. That year, I worked under Tony Reid, and I learned a great deal from him. He had, at least with me, a very gentle leadership style that hid I think a great deal of ambition for the Center. But he had the most curious way of relaying requests for me to carry out. Like Frederick the Great but without the imperiousness, he handed me very small strips of paper with instructions written in a very tiny handwriting in pencil. I always found this quite remarkable and somewhat endearing, and I wish that I had had more time to learn from him, and receive more little strips of paper. With best wishes, David

From: Carlyle Thayer via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2025 6:26 PM
To: nhungtuyet.tran@utoronto.ca; vsg@u.washington.edu; Hue-Tam Tai <huetamtai@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Anthony Reid

Dear VSG,

I am devastated. Tony was one of my external examiners for my PhD in 1977. Later, when he served as national president of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (the peak academic body), he recurited me to serve as national secretary. We worked extremely well together.

I last met Tony at Li Tana's book launch in Canberra (A Maritime Vietnam: From Earliest Times to the Ninetenth Century, Cambridge UP, 2024) where he presided over the launcy and Q&A session that followed.

Vale Anthony J. Reid

Carl Thayer

Carlyle A. Thayer

Emeritus Professor

UNSW Canberra

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

The University of New South Wales at the

Australian Defence Force Academy

Canberra, ACT 2610 Australia

Phone: +61 02 6251 1849

Mobile: 0437 376 429

Calling Mobile from overseas +61 437 376 429

From: John D. Phan via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2025 4:47 PM
To: Thompson, C. M. <thompsonc2@southernct.edu>
Cc: VietnamStudies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Anthony Reid

Dear Nhung,

Thank you for sharing. I remember well meeting Professor Reid when he came to Cornell for a talk while I was in grad school. A great loss, and our field will feel it. Deep condolences to Professor Reid’s family and friends.

John

John D. Phan, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Associate Professor of Vietnamese Humanities

Co-Founder, Vietnamese Studies at Columbia University

Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures

Columbia University

New York, New York 10027

212-854-5744

From: Thompson, C. M. via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2025 12:46 PM
To: Nhung Tran <nhungtuyet.tran@utoronto.ca>
Cc: VietnamStudies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Anthony Reid

Dear Nhung,

Thanks for posting this information. I know you worked closely with him for many years, my condolences for your loss.

take care

Michele

C. Michele Thompson

Professor of Southeast Asian History

Southern Connecticut State University

From: Hue-Tam Tai via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2025 3:52 AM
To: nhungtuyet.tran@utoronto.ca; vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Anthony Reid

I am very sad to hear of Anthony Reid's passing. I benefitted so much from his way of framing research questions and his insights. In the few times I got to meet him in person, he struck me as a generous and enthusiastic scholar.
It is a very sad loss indeed.

Hue-Tam Ho Tai
Harvard University emerita

From: Nhung Tran via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2025 3:16 AM
To: vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: [Vsg] Anthony Reid

I’m really very sorry to let you know that Anthony Reid passed away at 4:00 am on Sunday, 8 June 2025 in the hospital in Canberra, Australia.

In his last days, his close family members were by his side, along with his spouse of six decades, Helen, and daughter Kate.

I respectfully acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

*******

Nhung Tuyet Tran

Associate Professor

Department of History

University of Toronto