It was in the middle of a conversation with Carolyn Reid Bond, BA ’63, MA ’66, when she paused in her reminiscences to wonder what might have happened back in 1967 if she had stayed with IBM. She had been employed there for a year after completing her master’s degree in speech language pathology at the College of Education. “I was offered a position as a human factors engineer, testing office products from an operator’s point of view. It was a fabulous position. I was the only female in the engineering branch at a time when they were looking for women to promote. I’ve wondered sometimes what would have happened had I stayed. It was a great experience, nonetheless,” Bond said. Thoughts of what might have been, however, pale in comparison to a life that has so far led Bond to Atlanta schools, Missouri politics, and, currently, Washington D.C., where she runs her own interior design business. There is no indication she is about to relax anytime soon. For Carolyn Bond, there’s still a lot more she wants to do.

Carolyn Reid Bond

Bond’s memories of the University of Kentucky consist of academic achievement and a marvelous social life. “I loved it …every second of it,” she said. “I had more fun and wonderful friends.” She completed a bachelor’s degree in special education, specializing in speech-language pathology, and then went to work for the public school system in Atlanta.

It was in Atlanta that she developed a long-distance relationship with a young University of Virginia law student, Christopher “Kit” Bond. He was working on his law degree, but his ambition was to enter Missouri politics.

While he finished law school, Bond returned to UK to complete her master’s degree and spent a year working at IBM. In all things where crossroads are reached, people either follow their head or their heart. It seems in Bond’s case, her heart has dictated a life’s path. She has remained true to those things she cares most about and has no regrets about leaving the private sector for public life. If anything, Bond discovered she had a flair for politics. She loved talking with people and was an active and visible voice in all her husband’s campaigns.

“I loved to campaign,” she said. It was a personal discovery that happened during Kit Bond’s first bid for Congress. “I always campaigned independently. I took half the district and my husband took half and we went door to door.”

Although they didn’t win the first time, they came close. Carolyn and Kit proved to be very popular among Missouri voters. Carolyn mobilized her own volunteer force and, as she did in every political campaign, worked independently in support of her husband’s bid for high office. It wasn’t long before their rising popularity finally won the Missouri Governor’s mansion away from the Democrats. When Kit Bond won a second term as governor in 1980, Carolyn, then eight months pregnant, nearly upstaged her husband.

“There was this wonderful headline in the St. Louis Post Dispatch after the second inauguration. It read, ‘Bond Going into Second Term, Upstaged by Pregnant Wife.’ I loved that,” she said. The birth of their son, Samuel, was followed closely by Missouri media and captured the heart of the state.
One of the defining moments in Carolyn Bond’s career was her effort to restore the Missouri Governor’s mansion. It was a huge undertaking. In order to finance the project, Bond established Missouri Mansion Preservation, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to raising money for the restoration. She also initiated the first public tour program in the mansion’s history.

Since its founding, the corporation has raised over $1.4 million in donations and furnishings. Bond’s work earned her the 1975 Woman of Achievement Award from the St. Louis Globe Democrat. Details of the restoration were captured in a best-selling book, Past and Repast: The History and Hospitality of the Missouri Governor’s Mansion, for which Carolyn served as editor-in-chief. The book features sumptuous photographs of the mansion, renovation details, and recipes for some of the state’s signature dishes.

Commenting on her interior design work, Bond describes herself as a facilitator and interpreter. She enjoys merging contemporary with traditional styles. However, her approach to design is not necessarily to create a style for someone. “What I like most about the job is getting to know people and making friends. Some say that working for a friend is difficult to do, but not for me. I bend backward to make sure everything works out and I’ll absorb losses to keep a friendship,” Bond said.
She recently reconnected with some UK friends at Shakertown and was very impressed by the restoration there. However, while the mansion project established Bond’s sterling reputation as an interior decorator and historic preservationist, these accomplishments are not what she holds most dear.

Bond has remained active in support of special education. In 1973, she initiated and organized a day for persons with disabilities at the Missouri State Fair, an event that continues to this day. In 1976, while serving as national chair for the Governors' Wives Project for the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), she received the NMHA award for her work with people with disabilities in Missouri. In recent years, Bond has served as director for the March of Dimes Annual Gourmet Gala and as a member of the Red Cross Senate Lodge Group.

Now, comfortably seated in her home in Washington, D.C., there is a sense of anticipation where her mind and heart will lead her next. She pauses a moment to consider the paths before her, looking forward to her next move.