William Neal Reynolds was born in Patrick County, Virginia, in 1863 to Hardin and Nancy Reynolds. He attended Trinity College (later Duke University), and joined his brother, Richard J. Reynolds, in the tobacco business in 1881.
William Neal, or “Mr. Will,” as he was called, became the tobacco buyer for the tobacco company. In fact, he bought the first tobacco for the company that was used for Prince Albert tobacco. Mr. Will became a partner in the company later in the 1880s.
Mr. Will became vice-president of the company in 1890, when it was incorporated as the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. When his brother, R. J. Reynolds died in 1918, Mr. Will became president. In 1924 he was chairman of the board, then from 1931 to his retirement in 1942 he was chairman of the executive committee of the board.
He married Kate G. Bitting in 1889, and they lived on West Fifth Street, until they moved to Tanglewood near Clemmons. Following an illness in 1922, he began working with harness horses, and gradually established a well-known stable at Tanglewood. Many of his horses won national recognition. Later, he established a training facility at Orlando, and spent several months of the year in Orlando.
Mr. Will invested his money in property all around Winston-Salem. Some of his land was used for Forsyth Country Club, of which he was the first president. He donated money for a hospital in memory of his wife, called the Kate Bitting Reynolds Memorial Hospital. He was president of Piedmont Park Company, and he was a partner in the Downtown Garage.
Mr. Will made many generous contributions to schools, both in North Carolina and in Virginia. His niece, Mary Reynolds Babcock, donated money to N. C. State University for a gymnasium to be named William Neal Reynolds Coliseum in his memory.
Mr. Will passed away in 1951. At his death, his Clemmons estate was given to Winston-Salem and Forsyth County to be used as a public park
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
