work for and with Mr.
Byrum,” Terri Hale added. “We worked hard
but we had a good time doing it. He didn’t expect
any more of the staff than he did of himself. His sense
of humor inspired us to work even harder.”
Prior to serving on the board of
supervisors, he served one term on the King William
County School Board. He was part of the first elected
school board in the county and was a write in on the
ballot.
“He called me and asked me
if I thought he had a chance,” said Sharon
Townsend, current member of the school board who served
with him.
“I asked him why he wanted
to run. He said that the county had given him so much,
especially when he lost his home to a fire, he wanted
to give back to the community. With his background in
education [he is a teacher and coach], he thought
serving on the school board would be a good way to do
it. I told him that was the best reason in the world to
run.”
She added that he always had his
heart in the right place.
“A lot of people have
tragedy in their life and the community gathers around
them. They always say ‘thank you’ but Gene
really wanted to do something to give back to the
community,” she said. “That shows what kind
of person he was.”
On the school board Gene Byrum served
as chairman and vice chairman and as voting delegate
for the Virginia School Board Association. He supported
hiring Dr. Sharon Dodson as superintendent, the
renovations at Hamilton-Holmes Middle School, and the
preliminary plans on expanding and renovating other
school buildings.
His additional public service
included serving on the Virginia Association of
Counties Education Committee, King William County Planning
Commission, Middle Peninsula Planning District
Commission, and the planning council for King William
County Public Schools. He was a member of the King
William Ruritan Club and the King William High School
Athletic Booster Club. He also coached football,
girls’ softball and Little League girls’
softball.
An educator for 25 years, Gene
Byrum taught agriculture education and was a department
head at Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Hanover
County.
Even with all his service it still
has been overwhelming for Debbi Byrum, Gene’s
wife of 24 years, to hear the touching stories about
her husband from students, parents, and friends.
