Presented by AivmMAbi Walter burnett, m. I on February 24. 2021
WHEREAS, It is with tremendous sadness that the members of this Chamber iearned of God, in His =
Infinite Wisdom having'brought'tb .close the life of DivManford Byrd,.Jr., calling him home to his -
eternal reward.;oh January 17, 202l;'and •''[
WHEREASffiXiQ'Chicago' City Council hasvbeen informediof Dr. Manford: Byrd's passing by the Honorable Walter Burnett,.Jr., Alderman of the 27th Ward; and '
WHEREAS, Dr. Manford Byrd, Jr. was bom on?May 29,1928 in Brewton, Alabama to Manford Byrcl Sr. and Evelyn Turk Byrd; He attended high school at Southern Normal High School in Brewton and, :as'.a result of the school's affiliation with the Dutch Reformed Church, was recruited to attend Central College in Pella, Iowa where he majored in Mathematics'and played on the college's baseball and , basketball teams. After graduating from Central College in 1949; he would go on to earn a Masters . Degree in Education from Atlanta University in. 1954; and
WHEREAS] Dr. Byrd began his career in education teaching in Quincy, Illinois from 1949-1954 before accepting a teaching position in Chicago, Illinois»From 1954-1967, he worked for the Chicago Public School system as a teacher, assistant principalp'elementary;andshigh school principal and assistant to the
" General Supenhtendenfiof.the Chicago PublicSchools: In i968, he was appointed Deputy . ' ' :
Superintendent and Chief Operating Officer of Chicago Public Schools. This appointment at the relatively young age of 39, made Dr. Byrd one of the highest ranking African American public sector
, leaders in the nation; and . ¦•' ; > . ' ¦ '.
'.WHEREAS,-.bespite--his-relatively^uick.ascensionrto the position o§Deputy^Super'mtendent,;itAva.s 17:
years before Dr. Byrd achieved the position of General Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools.
During the 1970s after serving for several years as the Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Byrd was passed over
for. the General Superin...
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