O. Earl Byrd
Ora Earl Byrd (1903-1996) was a teacher who served as Scott County Superintendent of Schools in the 1930s.
See Also: Scott County School Superintendents
Preceded By: Ovia Cross • Succeeded By: John Lee West
Biography
Born in Oregon on June 28, 1903, Ora Earl Byrd was the son of James Franklin Byrd (1876-1967) and Hattie Lucenda Cross (1884-1946). His maternal grandfather, Caswell “Cas” Cross, was a brother to Nancy Jane Cross Barnes, who was the mother of George W. Cross — superintendent of schools in Scott County from 1897 to 1901. O. Earl Byrd and George W. Cross were first cousins, once removed.
Earl had two brothers, Ira Conrad Byrd and Robert Caswell “Bob” Byrd. He also had a sister, Lois Byrd.
The Byrd family was from the Straight Fork area of eastern Scott County, and James F. Byrd served in the Spanish-American War. James’ sister, Artie Minsy Byrd, married Dr. Divine Truth “D.T.” Chambers. James Byrd married Hattie Cross in 1901, and they moved to Deer Creek, Oregon — apparently prior to the birth of Earl, who was their oldest child. (Earl’s World War II draft card states that he was born in Huntsville, Tennessee, but his birth certificate states he was born in Oregon. However, his father told census enumerators in 1910 that he was born in Scott County.)
Earl returned to Scott County as a teenager. When the 1920 census was taken, 16-year-old Earl was living with his grandparents, Caswell and Sarah Cross, at Winona.
Earl married Olive Mae “Ollie” Potter on June 28, 1927 — his 24th birthday. She was the daughter of Lee Potter and Amanda Madden of Huntsville. They were married in Scott County.
Earl and Ollie had six children: Robert, Helen, James, Curtis, Barbara and Beverly.
Superintendent of Schools
Byrd graduated teacher school at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1922. He received a three-year degree. He began his career in education as a teacher at Huntsville High School, then was elected Scott County School Superintendent in 1931. He replaced Ovia Cross. He served in that capacity for one term, and was replaced in 1933 by John Lee West, who went on to become Scott County’s longest-serving school superintendent.
Later Years
Following his tenure as superintendent of schools, Byrd and his family moved from Scott County to Oregon, where he had grown up. He took a job as a firefighter.
Byrd enlisted in the Oregon State Guard on August 21, 1942. He was assigned to Co. A of the 17th Battalion.
Following his service in the State Guard, Byrd took a job at a lumber mill in Roseburg, Oregon. In 1953, he was involved in an accident in Roseburg when he fell asleep while driving and side-swiped a passenger bus. He was not seriously injured.
Byrd moved to Silverton, Oregon towards the end of his life, where he was a member of the First Baptist Church of Silverton and enjoyed gardening and poetry.
Death
Byrd died Oct. 7, 1996 in Silverton, Oregon, where he lived the last four years of his life. He was 93 at the time of his death. He was buried at Roseburg Memorial Gardens in Roseburg, Oregon. His wife, Ollie, died in 1992 and was also buried there.