Charles E. Reed graduated from Jenkins High School in 1970. While there, he set school records in the long jump, triple jump and 180 hurdles, which he still holds today. He is the only student selected MVP in basketball, football and track in the same year at Jenkins.
For three years of his time at Cumberland, Reed received the Most Outstanding Track Athlete Award and was Captain of the track team. He was the KIAC long jump, triple jump and 400 IM hurdles champion for three years and the record holder in each event. Reed was also the NAIA District 24 Champion in the long jump and triple jump for three years and held the records for each event. While at Cumberland, he held the records for the long jump at 24'10 and the triple jump at 49'11.
Reed was named to Who's Who Among Athletes in American Colleges and Universities, Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and was awarded the T.J. Roberts Campus Leadership Award. He was the co-founder and first president of the Black Student Union at Cumberland. The Charles Reed Track and Academic Scholarship was established by Cumberland in his honor. Reed earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Cumberland in 1975 and received the Outstanding Alumni Award in 1979. He served on the University of the Cumberlands Alumni Board of Directors from1985-1988.
Upon graduation from Cumberland, Reed began a five year career with Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Weston, Pennsylvania, involving various management positions. In 1980, he moved to Denver, Colorado and held several managerial positions with Arco International Oil and Gas Corporation. Currently, Reed is President of Charles E. Reed Enterprises, Inc., a company with five Schlotzsky's stores and ninety employees in Plano, Allen, and Frisco, Texas.
Reed is married to his grade school sweetheart and wife of 40 years, the former Clara Higgins, a 1975 alumna of Cumberland. Charles and Clara have one child, Crystal, and one grandchild, Camryn.
