The newly installed terrace behind Harman Hall looks out onto the Meadows and the infinite possibilities that stretch beyond the fields. The terrace offers that same feeling — opportunity awaits. A group of students hanging out. A place to sit and read. A place to ponder, maybe let the mind wander. A place to study. A place to have a barbeque. A place to listen to music. A sense of harmony. 

“On a lovely day,” says Reed Harman ’64, who was on campus with his wife, Nan, this week to see the terrace, “it might be an easier way to learn rather than sitting in the [dorm] room.” 

Reed sees the terrace as a casual spot that can create warm memories, extending beyond just the students who live in adjacent Harman and Carter halls. He can envision a string quartet playing music for 50 to 75 people. He sees possibilities for many uses. “That is the hope,” he says. 

Reed and Nan’s monetary commitment to Harman Hall remains steadfast. He takes pride in the residence hall that opened about 30 years ago in honor of his parents. The latest gift by the Harmans not only paid for the terrace area but will provide air conditioning for Harman Hall, renovations to the student and faculty bathrooms and the social room, and a connector (or a “breezeway”) between Harman Hall and Carter Hall, much of the work a nod to the importance he places in the architecture and beauty of the campus. 

Reed was a four-year student from West Hartford, Conn. He was a three-year letter winner on the varsity soccer team, business manager of the yearbook, and a member of the Dance Committee. He also ran track, served on the Elections Committee, and was a member of the Glee Club and the Pelicans. Reed served on the Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1993. He also has hosted several events on behalf of the school in Los Angeles and served on reunion fundraising committees for the 40th and 50th reunions of the Class of 1964. Reed and Nan live in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. Their son, Hayden, is a 1988 Loomis Chaffee graduate. Reed’s sister, Hollis, is a 1967 Chaffee graduate. 

Reed’s mother, the late Janice Mather Reed Harman, was the daughter of Lucy Mather of Hartford, a direct descendent of Joseph Loomis, one of the early settlers in Windsor. That history created a strong bond between Reed’s family and the school even before he enrolled. 

Reed says Loomis Chaffee prepared him well for college. “The time I spent here was very formative for me,” he says.  

He has given in many ways over the years. The campus and Harman Hall are important to him. 

“Our family, Nan and I in particular, feel responsibility for the building,” Reed says.