BY REBECCA O'HALLORAN
STAFF WRITER

February 16, 2005

Reginald Maxwell Minor qualified for the 1936 U.S. Olympic Rowing team, but he was not able to attend because he could afford to send only himself to Berlin and not his boat.

Despite this, Minor continued to row and although he used a wheelchair toward the end of his life, he was still able to exercise on the rowing machine, said his son-in-law, James T. Brennan of Centerport.

Minor, a longtime Centerport resident, died of natural causes at St. Johnland Nursing Center in Kings Park on Thursday. He was 92.

Minor was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on July 29, 1912.

He graduated in 1935 from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn with a major in advertising design. Minor, who was a member of the Nautilus Boat Club's glee club, met Gladys Thompson, the woman who would become his wife, at a concert that club members performed in Bensonhurst. They married in 1940.

He served as a master sergeant in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, and was stationed in Germany and France, family members said. He worked as an art director for McGraw-Hill Co.'s Sweets construction catalog division for about 40 years.

Through his son Kenn, who has Down syndrome, Minor became involved in the Association for the Help of Retarded Children in Suffolk County. He pioneered the association's resident housing program and was responsible for designing homes, his son-in-law said. He also served as president for 10 years, and was awarded the program's Humanitarian and Founders awards. The group named its Huntington residence in his honor last year.

Minor was an active member of the Bay Ridge Minerva Masonic Lodge No. 758 as well as a lifetime member of the Sagamore Rowing Association in Huntington, which named the club's first boathouse, The Reginald M. Minor Boat House, in his honor at the now closed Friends World College in Lloyd Harbor in the early 1990s.

Minor enjoyed rowing throughout his life. He taught rowing and continued to row competitively until 10 years ago, his son-in-law said.

Minor's eye for design enabled him to become a master at the creation of stained glass artwork. Some of his work decorates the windows of Centerport United Methodist Church and a number of Long Island residences.

Minor, a Centerport resident for about 55 years, designed and built his own home as well as several others in the community.

Among other projects, Minor used spring water to provide air conditioning in his home.

"He had a knack of solving problems," Minor's son-in-law said. "Whatever he decided to do he accomplished it well."

Minor is survived by his wife Gladys; sons Reginald of Orient and Kenn of Centerport; daughter Robin Gail Brennan of Centerport; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial celebration will be held at 1 p.m. on March 12 at the Centerport United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Centerport United Methodist Church.

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