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OBITUARY A keen sense of injustice October 26, 2007 | Page 6
WE IN Austin are mourning the loss of our dear comrade, Quent Reese, who tragically took his own life after a long struggle with depression.
Quent had a very basic sense of the injustice of the world that marked his whole outlook. He could argue the case for a different and better kind of world in terms that were persuasive, but not doctrinaire. And there was no gap between Quent's beliefs and his practice. He brought a professional flair and dedication to the ISO and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP), perhaps his favorite cause.
Quent joined the ISO in late 1990s while a student at the University of Texas. He cut his activist teeth in the UPS strike and a mass anti-racist student movement. As a fairly new activist, he preceded Jesse Jackson in a speech to a crowd of 5,000 students rallying against an anti-affirmative action law professor.
Quent's wish was that donations in his memory be given to the cause of helping Rodney Reed. Make checks payable to Rodney's mother, Sandra Reed, and send to: Prof. Dana Cloud, UT-Communication Studies, 1 University Station A1105, Austin, TX 78712.
The first CEDP member to be a pen pal to Kenneth Foster Jr., Quent brought the peculiar details of the case to the group. He recognized Foster as a fellow revolutionary and helped launch the movement that saved Foster from execution last summer.
Quent was gently persuasive, but when called for, he had a sharp combative streak. He wasn't afraid to stand up to power or someone defending injustice. Quent will also be missed for his sensitivity and funny, dry sense of humor.
Quent was one of the good ones. A dear friend, he will always be remembered and sorely missed.
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