ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Dr. Donald A. Reed (1935-2001)

We all have to thank one individual who spent his life following his passion, sacrificing in many ways to accomplish his goals and leading us through 30 years of devotion to his goals: honoring, recognizing and promoting genre entertainment - Dr. Donald A. Reed. He should be considered no less than a pioneer in what he was able to accomplish. His idea was "bringing together a group of enthusiasts who love and admire the work whose focus was expressly genre entertainment - science fiction, fantasy & Horror".

When he conceived the idea of an Academy back in 1972, he had no precedents to follow. Other than the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Golden Globes, there were no other major organizations presenting awards in motion picture entertainment. With his passion as his driving force, he gathered together his contacts (which he cultivated from his earlier group, The Count Dracula Society) and began the process of voting awards in genre entertainment. With the huge success of  "Star Wars", he took his simple idea and created an awards show which was very successful in 1978. In the 80's he expanded that thought and began voting awards for television productions.  In the 90's the idea grew to honoring home entertainment. He developed alongside his protege  and best friend, Robert Holguin, the idea of honoring DVD releases. Dr. Reed was quite excited about honoring this new medium and kept working toward expanding his successful work.  That was unfortunately cut short when Dr. Reed died in 2001 at age 65.

Dr. Donald A. Reed was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 22, 1935. He was raised by his parents until they moved to Los Angeles when he was seven years old.

He was an intelligent scholar having spent over 10 years earning several degrees from Universities. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Loyola University (1957), his Masters in Library Science from The University of Southern California (1958), and his Juris Doctor Degree (1968) also from USC.

Dr. Reed became an educator teaching at Woodbury University, Valley College, and in 1995 at Columbia College. He was a librarian at Cal Arts (California Institute of the Arts). He met Walt Disney while employed there.

He involved himself in many groups throughout his lifetime. He was President of the Calvin Coolidge Society, a member of The Gilbert and Sullivan Society, involved in politics with the Young Democrats of California, a lifelong member of the ACLU, belonged to the Titanic Society, President of the Don Johnson Fan Club, and an author of several books.

He wrote Robert Redford: A Look at his Films, Science Fiction Film Awards, The Vampire on the Screen, and Admiral Leahy at Vichy France.

He was founder of several other organizations: The Count Dracula Society, The Academy of Family Films and Television, and the Council of Film Organizations. He was a film reviewer on cable access (Reviewing Films From the Academies). He was considered the leading scholar on Count Dracula (World Almanac Book of Buffs) and belonged to several prominent organizations: The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, The Grammy Academy, The Cable Academy, The Academy of Country Music, The Academy of Magical Arts, The Paley Center, and the Golden Satellite Awards.

His interests included: the Civil War, King Tut, the ordeal of Lizzle Borden, the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby, the historical events involving the sinking of the Titanic, the life of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, world politics, the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan, Cole Porter, civil liberties, law, and fittingly - film, particularly science fiction, fantasy and horror.

His favorite horror film was THE MUMMY, his favorite fantasy film was THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD, his favorite science fiction film was FORBIDDEN PLANET (until STAR WARS came along). His favorite film of all time was Charlie Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS. Other  favorites included: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Casablanca, and Sunset Boulevard.

He once owned a book store in Santa Monica. He was a librarian who would often work as a substitute teacher at locations around Los Angeles. He was the head researcher while working in a law firm. At one point he worked closely on a case which dealt with the civil liberties of a conscientious objector (in the 60's) which set precedent in this country.

His collections on film and history were extensive. He accumulated one of the largest collections on Robert Redford. He was asked to donate his collection to one of the leading Utah Universities and a room would be named after him (The Donald A. Reed room), but he preferred to retain his collection.  He wrote a book, The Films of Robert Redford, which was published in 1975.  Prior to the release of the book, Mr. Redford's assistant called him and told Dr. Reed "he would prefer not to have a book published on his life as it is still early in his career".  The book was published and sold 100,000 copies.  That same assistant called Dr. Reed after the publication of the book and stated "Mr. Redford has read your book and liked it very much!"

Dr. Reed met and befriended many people over the years. From Richard Correll to Douglas Wick, Rouben Mamoulian, Randal Kleiser, Dean Devlin, Gale Anne Hurd, Roger Corman, Gene Roddenberry, George Pal, Vincent Pricce, Bryan Singer, Larry Cohen, Frank Marshall, Joe Dante, William Friedkin, Ray Bradbury, Robert Wise, Wes Craven, and Dustin Lance Black, these talented professionals meant a lot to him.

Dr. Reed was considered a leading scholar in genre entertainment. He was often interviewed on these subjects. He loved to teach and educate those around him. He in particular loved socializing with young adults as this would give him an opportunity to tell his stories and enlighten them with his knowledge. His personality was very open and friendly. He was very approachable and would never hesitate in helping anyone who needed it. He was a kind and gentle person, very much a man of peace.

In 1982, he was a victim of a tragic car accident which left him disabled for over two years. As he recovered from the accident, he never completely regained his strength. Prior to the accident, he was a bundle of energy. Following his accident he slowed down considerably.

He developed diabetes in 1989 and became dependent on insulin injections. He soon developed heart troubles which led to triple by-pass surgery in 1998. He suffered from diabetic neuropathy (pain in the legs due to diminished blood circulation). In 1999, he went into the hospital as he developed congestive heart failure. It was reversed and he came home. He suffered from anemia and in 2001 went into the hospital for a blood transfusion. The process was just too much for him and he went into cardiac arrest. He suffered irreparable brain damage. He lingered in a coma for two weeks before succumbing to death on March 18th, 2001.  His best friend, Robert Holguin, held his hand as he left our world.  His final words to Dr. Donald A. Reed were "Goodnight Sweet Prince".

He was buried on March 22nd at Holy Cross Cemetery in Los Angeles where he joined such old friends as George Pal, and Ray Bolger. Perhaps most fitting for this vampire scholar is the fact that a few hundred yards from his grave is the final resting place of Bela Lugosi, the original Count Dracula.

Despite his illnesses, he never gave in to them. He retained his enthusiasm for genre entertainment and continued enlightening college-age students. He got them involved in his Academy and they became leaders.  He would often tell people his life was devoted to film to the point "I saw a film every day of my life".

Dr. Reed is gone in body, but he is eternal in spirit. What he started 30 years ago is still viable and strong. He created something which has stood the test of time. Over the years, he never strayed from his goals and sacrificed much to keep them going. He is to be commended for his accomplishments. He led a full life. He built a lifetime upon his interests and earned his postion as a pioneer. We should always be thankful and grateful for his contributions to the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror.

A special award has been instituted to honor him bearing his name. It goes to an individual who, in the tradition of Dr. Reed, has contributed to the quality of filmmaking and has proven an inspiration to younger filmmakers.

Dr. Donald A. Reed, rest in peace, and thank you for your inspiration and kindness.  Until we meet again.....