Thomas Reynolds, a husband, grandfather and a gift of inspiration to the many staff and faculty at Citrus College has announced his retirement.
After 37 years of dedicated hard work as the Supervisor of Reprographics, Reynolds will retire this May.
His legacy as a professional is one defined by a vision of determination. When he began working for Reprographics, the center was still using labor-intensive printing presses and outdated technology that would never have been able to keep up with the demands of the school.
Reynolds saw this and recommended upgraded digital printers and copy machines. Such a move has proven to be beneficial to both the campus community and his dedicated staff.
With the new technology, Reprographics can now provide a wide-range of printing services efficiently and under tight deadlines, saving both cost and labor–with the added bonus that he and his staff no longer needed to over-exert themselves to fulfill requests.
“Having us on campus, we provide an extremely well-oiled system. We’re fast, we’re cost effective, and we can supply customer service that you wouldn’t get from outside services … and we can supply things for people when they really need it,” said Reynolds.
Bill Fellows, a technician for Reprographics Services, said this was a significant step forward.
“I wanted to thank him for taking us out of the analogue age and bringing us into the digital age,” Fellows said,He has left his mark here, and we will miss him.”
Among his fellow peers and staff, he is affectionately called “Rocky”, an homage to the story of his birth. Reynolds was born four months premature and the doctors did not expect him to live.
“I weighed 3.6 lbs, and I spent four more months in the hospital. At this time my parents hadn’t yet named me,” Reynolds said. Even though his parents had not yet named him, the nurses had. “They called me ‘The Rock,’” Reynolds said, because he had survived beyond their initial expectations.
Reynold’s life is full of such stories.
“I spent 3 years in the army,” Reynolds said, “I was one of the last to be drafted to Vietnam, but at the last-minute I was one of a few people chosen to be sent to Germany, so I was very lucky and grateful it worked out that way. I’ve been very lucky in my life.”
Reynolds attributes much of his own success here at Citrus College to this very fortune.
“I’ve met a lot of wonderful people over the years. I’ve had two exemplary bosses, Carol Cone who brought us into the 21st century, so to speak and Claudette Dain,” who saw the value of the Reprographics center and fully supported its enhancement as well as Reynolds’ vision of improving it.
He further extends his gratitude to his staff for the continued success of the center, “My staff has been very wonderful. Without them, Reprographics wouldn’t be what it is today. There’s days when I’m coming in just to see these guys. I’m very thankful and have been very fortunate.”
He is not the only one to feel fortunate. Many of his staff and peers also express deep admiration and appreciation for him, his contributions and his leadership.
Gina Matta, a technician at the Reprographics Services center said that, “(as) professional as he is, he still gives a sense of humanity. He is very humble and kind… I enjoy working here because of him. I’m really going to miss him.”
Claudette Dain, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services recalls her own experiences with Reynolds, “On a professional level, Rocky is a perfectionist. He is very concerned about getting the job done and getting it done right. On a personal level, Rocky is very jovial.He has the kind of presence that when you see him, he just makes you smile. He will be deeply missed.”
“In Rocky, I have met a life-long friend. He will be leaving our campus having made it better… I would like to thank him for making my life easier” Dain said.
It is clear that to many in the campus community, “Rocky” Reynolds is deeply admired and beloved. In his 37 years of service to Citrus, he has held fast to one principle, which he leaves to the community as a departing gift, “Treat everyone like family. Family may not always agree, and though there may be differences, always be there for them like family.”
