Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Geography and Planning Robert Ellis Reiman (May 28, 1921 -) was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He is married to Betty Coucill Reiman and the couple have two sons, Robert, Jr., born February 14, 1949, and Richard, born December 13, 1952. Reiman earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from The Florida State University in 1961. He continued at Florida State, completing the M.S. in Geography in 1962 and the Ph.D. in Geography and Higher Education in 1964. His master's thesis was entitled As Spoecmtse of Water Resource Development in the Suwannee Basin. His doctoral dissertation, The Characteristics of Undergraduate Programs in Geography in Selected Colleges and Universities in the United States, combined the dual aspects of his doctoral studies, geography and higher education. The early years of Reiman's educational career overlapped a twenty year military career which began in 1939. During his service in the United States Air Force, he worked as an aerial photographer/photo interpreter/ navigator (1939-43), intelligence officer (1943-45), pilot/intelligence officer (1947- 51), administrative officer/aircraft commander (1951-53), aircraft maintenance officer/aircraft commander (1953-1956), and maintenance training officer (1956-59). Reiman also received pilot and electronics training during his service. He retired with the rank of Major in 1959. Reiman's teaching experience began in 1961 when he held a graduate teaching assistantship in the Geography Department at The Florida State University. Following the completion of his master's degree, he became a part-time instructor of geography at Florida State while he worked on his doctorate. Reiman joined the faculty at Appalachian State University as an assistant professor of geography in 1963. He was promoted to associate professor in 1966 and achieved the rank of professor of geography in 1970. From 1980 until his retirement he held the title Professor of Geography and Planning. In January, 1989, Reiman was named Professor Emeritus of Geography and Planning. He continues to lecture in geography part-time at Pembroke State University. In addition to his professorial duties at Appalachian, Reiman also served the university in a variety of administrative capacities. He was Director of Institutional Research and Development from 1966-72. From 1972- 75, he served as Dean of University Research Services. In 1975, he became Coordinator of Long-range Planning for the university, a position he maintained for five years. From 1980-89, Reiman served as Coordinator of the Undergraduate Program in Community and Regional Planning. Among the honors Reiman has achieved are the Distinguished Professional Achievement Award of the North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association, which he received in 1989; the Distinguished Service Award, which he received from that same association in 1985; and membership in Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa. He has been professionally affiliated with such esteemed organizations as the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Certified Planners, the Association of American Geographers, the Southeastern Division of the Association of American 160 Geographers, the Southern Regional Science Association, the North Carolina Geographic Society (of which he was President in 1988- 89), and the North Carolina Association for Institutional Research (President, 1972-74). A prolific contributor to the literature of his field, Reiman's publications include the following: Emerging Patterns in the Southern Highlands, Volume IV: County Business Patterns (with Steb Hippie and Paul Lovingood). Boone, NC: The Appalachian Consortium, 1989. A Panorama of North Carolina (with David Bice and William Imperatore). Marceline, MO: Walswoith Publishing Company, 1987. Guide to Undergraduate Education in Urban and Regional Planning ( with W. Hankins and W. Wubneh). Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, 1982 (Also, Second Edition, 1988). "Specific Academic Needs of Undergraduate Geography Majors as Determined from an Opinion Survey," Faculty Publications, Appalachian State Teachers' College, Boone, North Carolina, 1965. Reiman's statewide consulting services have also been extensive, covering such diverse areas as textbook criticism, land use plan development, community development, staff training, computer and land use mapping, grants planning, and evaluation design, among many others. He served as a member and officer of the Boone Planning Board for eleven years. He was an invited participant in the State Department of Public Instruction's International Education Assessment in 1985, a panel member of Open/Net symposium on "TeachingGeography and the Social Studies" in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 14, 1985, assistant director of the Appalachian Regional Bureau of Government from 1977- 81, and a member of the Computer Planning Steering Committee of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education from 1969-70. Reiman has also edited the North Carolina Planning Newsletter from 1978 until the present. Reiman and his wife now reside in Laurinburg, North Carolina, where he maintains an active participation in the geography and planning field. Sources: Appalachian State University files and long association. —Dr. Richard D. Howe and Mr. George F. Howe
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