WILLIAM REID
NEW YORK — William Reid, 86, a former textile executive and an adviser to the U.S. government on international trade agreements, died Jan. 29 at his home in Tubac, Ariz.
The cause was a combination of aphasia, a neurological disorder, and Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to his daughter-in-law, Kaye Reid.
Reid headed Riegel Textile, a manufacturer of denim and other fabrics, from 1955 until his retirement in 1975. Riegel was acquired in 1985 by a unit of the R.B. Pamplin Corp.
Reid served as president of the American Textile Manufacturers Institute in 1964-65 and the National Cotton Council in 1974.
In 1962, Reid led an industry group advising the Commerce Department during trade negotiations in Geneva. He continued to advise the government on textile trade into the Seventies.
Reid is survived by his wife, Jean; a daughter, Sidney Funston; two sons, William Jr. and Richard; a stepson, Roger Haller; a stepdaughter, Barbara Watkins; his sister, Geraldine Overstreet, and nine grandchildren.