THE BENCH

In Honor of Mary Lou and Scott Reed
Living Their Values

(PICTURE OF THE BENCH HERE)

This bench invites you to pause—not just to rest, but to reflect on the lives of two remarkable people who helped shape the community around you.

Scott and Mary Lou Reed found their “promised land” in Coeur d’Alene in 1955. On their first day, they rented a boat, rowed into the middle of the lake, jumped in, and decided—this was home. From that moment forward, they poured themselves into the life of this town and its people, working to preserve its natural beauty, uphold its democratic values, and strengthen its sense of community.

Scott, with his sharp legal mind and unshakable persistence, spent a lifetime defending the environment he loved. He helped lead the fight to preserve Tubbs Hill, kept watch over public access to Coeur d’Alene’s lakes and streams, and held government agencies accountable for protecting natural resources. Among the many impactful outcomes of his work was a legal settlement—following highway construction mishaps along the lakefront—that led to the creation and ongoing maintenance of the Centennial Trail, now a beloved path for walkers, cyclists, and families. Scott served on boards from Coeur d’Alene’s Planning Commission to the National Audubon Society and believed deeply in the quiet power of persistence.

Mary Lou was just as formidable. She was a natural organizer, a gifted writer, and a passionate believer in the public good. For decades, she ran other people’s campaigns out of her living room—then, after raising her children, ran for office herself. She served six terms in the Idaho State Senate, rising to Senate Minority Leader in one of the most conservative legislatures in the country. She led the charge to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day, expanded Medicaid to include hospice care, and built bridges where others saw only division. Through it all, she wrote—columns filled with clarity, conviction, and compassion. For Mary Lou, words were just another way to organize community.

Together, they were more than a couple—they were a team. They raised their children, Bruce and Tara, in a home filled with purpose, conversation, and a belief in the power of doing good. Bruce went on to shape national policy with the same thoughtful determination he grew up watching at the family table. Tara, drawn to the natural world her parents so loved, became a aquatic biologist and teacher, sharing her passion through teaching university courses and her own works of fiction. Like their parents, both chose lives grounded in meaning, service, and imagination—a living legacy of the values that shaped their childhood.

This bench, lovingly handmade by longtime friends Mary Dee and Allen Dodge—who shared many meals, stories, and years of friendship with the Reeds—is a reflection of everything they cherished: art, nature, water, and the town they called home.

Sit a while. They would’ve liked that

Mary Lou article on her husband and Tubbs Hill

Bruce Reed article about his parents