Longtime ‘Voice of the Huskies’ Reeves dies at 89
G. Spencer “Spence” Reeves, the University of Washington public address sports announcer known as the “Voice of the Huskies” for nearly two decades, died July 16 of lung cancer. He was 89.
Reeves, who called the games from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, is considered a UW legend among the likes of Track and Basketball Coach Hec Edmundson, Football Coach Jimmy Phelan and Baseball Coach Tubby Graves.
Friends, students and family described Reeves as kind, strong, handsome, decent, caring, organized and dedicated to his family. ”All I can say about him is he was tops,” said Merlin Gilbertson, the 1947 UW basketball team captain.
Reeves, a Portland native, also was a professor at the UW, teaching in the departments of public health, preventive medicine and physical education. He caught thousands of young people over a 35-year career, retiring in 1964. He also trained officers and sent them off to fight in World War II. Also, in the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he worked with the local chapter of the American Red Cross to develop civil defense and evacuation, safety, and emergency-rescue programs.
Reeves loved sports, the athletes and the University, says his daughter, Kristin Stendera of Lake Forest Park. Every child of his became a teacher, and every one of them married a teacher.
Though old age hurt his hearing and cataracts weakened his eyesight, he was a big UW sports fan to the end, attending football games in Section 41 of Husky Stadium last year. His son-in-law, Rick Stendera, gave him a play-by-play account. Reeves earned degrees from Oregon State University, the University of Oregon and the University of California, Berkeley.