Eugene T. Reville, who became a nationally known school leader during his 14-year tenure as superintendent of the Buffalo Public Schools, died last month from injuries suffered when the car he was driving was struck by a drunken driver.
For the past nine months, Mr. Reville had served as metropolitan supervisor of desegregation in Little Rock, Ark., where he crafted new student-assignment plans for the three districts involved in the case. The federal judge who appointed Mr. Reville recently approved the plans, but at least one of the districts involved has indicated that it may appeal the ruling.
Before moving to his current post, Mr. Reville had spent virtually his entire career working as an administrator in the Buffalo school system. His experience there in designing and implementing a desegregation plan made him a sought-after expert on local and national desegregation issues.
Among those tapping his expertise were federal judges in both Little Rock and St. Louis, and his advocacy of voluntary desegregation methods played a major role in the Congress’s decision to create the Magnet Schools Assistance Act.
