WNC Magazine recently named Robert Reynolds, namesake of Reynolds Mountain, one of WNC’s 50 most influential people, past and present. From this month's issue:

“Reynolds represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate starting in 1933. He supported Roosevelt’s Depression-era economic initiatives like the Civilian Conservation Corps, and is regarded as one of the leading figures in the effort to route the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina…”

The rest of the entry, plus the remaining 49 influential people chosen by the editors of WNC Magazine can be viewed here.