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Anguish
Mountain climber
Jackson Hole Wyo.
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 8, 2008 - 05:44pm PT
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The following appeared in this morning's Jackson Hole News&Guide
Former Jenny Lake climbing ranger and Exum guide William Henry Byrd, 85, died Aug. 11 at his home in Eugene, Ore., from complications related to congestive heart failure. He was surrounded by his four children, his wife and other family members. The following was provided by his children.
Bill was born in 1923 and grew up during the Great Depression, picking strawberries and beans and delivering papers. Following high school graduation, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army in World War II. He served in the Philippines and later in Japan. He fought on the island of Luzon for 178 days straight and survived as a prisoner of war. He was decorated with two Purple Hearts and the Oak Leaf Cluster.
He spent many summers following the war climbing in the Tetons, where he worked first as a ranger for Grand Teton National Park and later as a guide for what became Exum Mountain Guides. He was a colleague of Paul Petzoldt and Willi Unsoeld, and told many a tale of their times together along with the other Exum guides.
In 1953, he married our mother, JoAnne Young, in Jackson, where they had met and spent many subsequent summers together. The family returned for years to Katie Starett’s Elbow Ranch (now the Teton Science Schools). An early advocate of environmentalism, he was influenced by his friendship with Olaus and Mardy Murie, Paul and Francis Judge, and other early timers of the valley.
He was working as a teacher up the McKenzie River in Oregon when he was approached by the Kennedy administration (by a fellow he had guided for Exum) to help start a new program called the Peace Corps. In 1961-62 Bill became the director at the Aricebo, Puerto Rico, program. He took his family with him. His youngest son, Brad, was born there.
During his Peace Corps service, Bill was introduced to the concept of Outward Bound. The organization’s motto, “To serve to strive and not to yield,” would become his life’s mission. When he returned to Eugene following his corps service, he was approached by people organizing a new Outward Bound USA school in 1965. He hired on as the director and helped found the Northwest Outward Bound School. He continued to grow the school and promote the values and mission of the organization nationwide until his retirement in 1977. The school then moved to Portland and became the Pacific Crest Outward Bound and eventually merged with the Colorado school.
He is survived by his wife, Donnie, her two sons Ken and Brad Jones, our mother JoAnne Byrd (formerly of Kelly and Wilson), and his four children: Ted, Susan (formerly of Kelly) and Brad Byrd of Oregon and Teri Byrd of Washington. He had six grandchildren and one new great-grandchild. He will be missed by the many whose lives he touched and changed forever.
A memorial service and military salute was Oct. 5 at City View Cemetery in Salem, Ore.
His daughter Susan is gathering information and memories. Please contact her at byrdiesuz@hotmail.com.
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Flashlight
climber
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I just talked to my dad. He knew William and spoke highly of him. Here is my dad at the Jenny Lake station in the early 50's. This is where William worked in its original location. I think it has since been moved and seriously remodeled, if not done away with altogether.
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Anastasia
climber
Not there
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My condolences...
AF
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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The article describes a man that lived a full, long life....including contributions to society and adventures shared with the great family and friends surrounding him.
There is rarely a time to leave this planet that is deemed just the right time. And I'm sure many family and friends would have liked just a little more time to hear more of the special stories, settle things, have more love shared....
My heart goes out to you all as you process your loss. It will take time. Walk through and embrace one another and the process.
My sincere thoughts and prayers. Lynne Leichtfuss
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Pennsylenvy
Gym climber
Fannie's Crack, AZ
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Flashlight,
are you sure that is not the current ranger station. I sure could be wrong but the existing one is fairly smallish and looks like that. I lived in Jackson from 90-98 and really "came of age" there. I have noticed you have strong ties to the area. Funny the last time I went to JAckson was for a twelve day climbing trip. I thought I had it made...all my old buds..let's climb this etc.
When I got there everyone's life was in full "daily life " mode. I climbed two days. The worst part was that I kept getting people telling me maybe so, I would stick around instead of doing what I should have done -solo. I learned a lesson about arriving in some places without a climbing partner. I was there in Late Sepember and the conditions were perfect, but the teton Climber's ranch had no climbing bums, only a few high spending tourists getting guided. The guy in charge indicated this wasn't unusual. There was a couple getting guided one day that realized I could do the same thing for nothing the next day for them. That's the closest I could fing for a partner. I thought of that song -all my rowdey friends have settled down but even that didn't apply. I have a great hitlist for the Teton's but I'm not going there without a comitted partner. ...........................................................................
Mindless babble......
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Flashlight
climber
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That picture was taken in the early 50's. Most definitely not the existing one.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there.... my deep comdolenses to the Byrd family, as well....
say, even as we know that the wonderful history of the times that nature touches our hearts, cannot be kept from slipping away (as to its physical aspect)... even so:
our beloved and treasured family members, can not be kept from slipping from our lives at these sad times:
yet, may his deep and long-running actions upon your lives, be a memories that never fades, and may it touch your hearts forever.... even as the rivers do, to bring refreshment to the earth, in hard to deal with times....
god bless...
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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The Exum guides provided the totality of my formal training in climbing during my high-school years in the late fifties. I climbed the Owen-Spaulding and Exum routes on the Grand, the East Ridge of Mount Owen, and the Southwest Ridge of Symmetry Spire with guides and, armed with the knowledge they imparted and whatever I could glean from the available books of the time, set off with other similarly inexperienced friends to try to become a climber, a quest I find myself still engaged in fifty years later.
Bill Byrd was my guide on the East Ridge of Owen. He led us over snowfields, some very wet and slippery rock, and of course the famous summit knob, which seemed pretty hard to my naive eyes. The enduring image I have is of him glissading down the Teton Glacier at the end of the day, poised, in perfect balance, and carving beautiful turns without using his axe as a rudder. A man serenely competent, at home in his surroundings. May he now rest in peace.
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Ezra
Trad climber
WA, NC
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He lived a nearly perfect life,
He is in a better place, if one exists,
May his family find peace.
-e
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