At the 1998 Viterbo Founders Day banquet, President Bill Medland announced that the university’s new Institute for Ethics in Leadership would be named to honor the memory and legacy of D.B. Reinhart, who had died in April 1996 at age 75.

“There is not a more appropriate individual to name the institute after than D.B. Reinhart,” Medland said in making the announcement.

Reinhart had served 12 years on Viterbo’s Board of Trustees starting in 1973 and with his wife, Marjorie, supported Viterbo in countless ways. He was instrumental in planning the V-76 fundraising campaign that came at a crucial time in the university’s growth.

Viterbo honored Reinhart in 1980 with the university’s highest honor, a Saint John XXIII Award, and in 1990 he was further recognized with an honorary doctorate. Naming the Ethics Institute for Reinhart was another acknowledgment of his huge contribution to the success of Viterbo, but  it was more than that. It was a way to highlight the exceptional personal character with which Reinhart conducted himself in business and in life.

Rick Kyte, who has led the Reinhart Institute since its inception, never met Reinhart, but he made it a point to talk to people who knew him well to get the measure of man for whom the institute was named.

“What I heard over and over again was how much emphasis he placed on personal integrity,” Kyte said. “He would routinely make really large, substantial business agreements with a handshake. He just expected that if people agreed to something they would follow through.”

As an attorney who worked for Reinhart for almost 20 years, Gerald Connolly was not necessarily a fan of handshake agreements, but he confirmed that his client and friend would at times eschew written contracts. “His word was his bond,” Connolly said.

“Rhiny was a leader in everything he did. He was highly respected in the grocery business and took many leadership roles in the industry. His advice was sought by many,” Connolly said. “And his wife, Marge, was a terrific lady who carried on the traditions of the family and the business after Rhiny’s passing. She’ll be remembered for her talent and care for others, too.”

When Reinhart reached the Viterbo Board of Trustees 12-year term limit, he urged Connolly to step up and take his place, which he did. Connolly was a trustee when Reinhart died, serving as chair of the board’s institutional advancement committee. Medland asked Connolly to help raise the initial funds to start the Reinhart Institute.

“We raised half a million dollars in a very short time,” Connolly said, and that’s a testament to the respect and esteem Reinhart had earned.

“He was obviously one of the most successful businessmen I ever encountered, but it was more than that. He cared a lot about people. He put people first,” Connolly said. “He was certainly a unique individual, blessed with many, many talents. But I think it was his interest in supporting others that was his dominant characteristic.”