TAPPI Fellow Jeff Reese, manager–paper solutions at International Paper’s Cincinnati Technology Center, passed away peacefully Wednesday, October 30, 2019, surrounded by song, prayers, and love after a courageous and inspiring battle with cancer.
Reese graduated Summa Cum Laude from NC State University in 1985 with degrees in Pulp and Paper Technology and Chemical Engineering. His dedication and generosity made a difference for countless friends and colleagues—whether through his career, where he was committed to doing the right thing at paper mills around the world; or through his volunteer work, where he served as a mentor to hundreds of young people.
As a TAPPI member, Reese exemplified service leadership, and his knowledge and authority were respected and sought by professionals everywhere. He was active with numerous TAPPI Divisions and Committees since 1986 while working for Poyry-BEK, Valmet-Enerdry, Georgia-Pacific, and two stints with IP. He served through the chair rotations of the Water Removal Committee, Papermakers Committee, and Engineering Division Council, and recently served as the WRC Drying Subcommittee Chair, Paper and Board Division Scholarship Chair, and Papermaking Specialists Subcommittee Chair.
Reese had served as a Track Manager at every Papermaking or PaperCon conference since 2006. At PaperCon 2015, he shared the podium with his father, Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medalist Dick Reese; and his daughter, NC State Paper Science and Engineering graduate and IP engineer Diana Reese, for “Back to the Future in Papermaking—Three Generations of Perspective.”
A TAPPI Fellow since 2004, Reese received the Engineering Division Technical Award and Beloit Prize in 2007, the Paper and Board Division Technical Award and Harris O. Ware Prize in 2010, the Paper and Board Division Leadership and Service Award in 2016, and the Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award in 2018. In addition to his many technical areas of expertise, Reese was passionate about recruiting and training engineers for the pulp and paper industry, working with the GP Entry-Level Engineering Program since 1996 and then the IP REACH program since 2004, leading recruiting efforts at his alma mater, and helping develop and present training sessions for more than 900 entry-level engineers.
Jeff Reese’s primary goal was to have a positive influence on as many people in the world as possible—a goal he achieved many times over through his work with TAPPI, NCSU, his churches, his companies, and his family and friends. He is survived by his loving family, including wife Su (nee Thompson) Reese; children Diana (Isaac) Paiva, Jonathan Reese, and Joanna Reese; and parents Dick and Diane Reese; as well as many other fond family members and an abundance of friends and colleagues.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like to honor Jeff's passion for making a difference through the Jeff Reese IMPACT Scholarship at NCSU. All are invited to contribute at go.ncsu.edu/jeffreeseimpact; or via mail, with checks payable to: NC State Natural Resources Foundation, Inc., 2820 Faucette Drive, Campus Box 8001, Raleigh, NC 27695. For information about next week’s memorial services in Mason, Ohio, visit www.muellerfunerals.com.
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