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Mela Kunitz 鈥�87

October 30, 2025, in Portland, Oregon, from complications related to multiple sclerosis.

A dedicated cultivator of Reed traditions, Mela Kunitz was born and grew up in Davis, California. She transferred to Reed from Berkeley after visiting her then-boyfriend for one weekend. The relationship didn’t last, but she discovered she was a Reedie.

Mela majored in political science, writing her thesis, “This Issue Path: An Analysis of Abortion,” with advising by Professor Stephen Kapsch [political science 1974–2005]. In 2001, she obtained a master’s degree in organizational communications from Marylhurst University.

After graduating from Marylhurst, Mela returned to Reed as assistant director in Alumni Relations (before departing to work for the Southwest Neighborhood Association, for Hanset Stainless Steel, and as an administrative assistant in the OB/GYN department at OHSU). She later rejoined the alumni office, finding great joy in planning events on campus, from Centennial Reunions for 2,000 people to a Foster-Scholz Club luncheon for 40.

Mela’s commitment to Reed was matched by her sly sense of humor, which she displayed with her first contribution to the Annual Fund as a staff member: $19.87, in honor of her graduation year, and written on a Snoopy check. Her passion for Peanuts shared equal space with feminist politics, pop culture, world travel, cute desk accessories, and running (in honor of her 40th birthday, she completed the Portland Marathon). When she retired from the college in December 2020, Mela shared the top 10 things that she loved about working at Reed in a heartfelt speech. “My role was dealing with 5,001 details and herding cats,” she said. “John Sheehy ’82 so aptly described it as: ‘weaving together the many threads that comprise the alumni body, a group that famously resists all attempts to fall into line.’”

After retirement, Mela loved keeping up with a wide range of Reedies, including former student workers and alumni volunteers (she was a regular at the alumni holiday party, where she especially enjoyed the boar’s head procession). Even after multiple sclerosis limited her mobility, she continued baking for friends, attending James Taylor concerts, and breaking out “the good chocolate” for deep conversations at her kitchen table.

In keeping with Mela’s deep commitment to Reed, she asked that gifts in her memory be made to the Reed Basic Needs Initiatitive. She is survived by her sister, Judith, and nephew, Dean. —Robin Tovey ’97

Appeared in Reed magazine: Spring 2026