The life of Lumus Byrd has been an eclectic mixture of careers and civic service. He traces the beginning of those experiences to his education at South Carolina State University in the early 1960s.

“It introduced me to a greater society. ... I owe everything to S.C. State,” said Byrd, a 1964 graduate in biology.

Byrd intends to gladly repay the debt by serving as chairman of the S.C. State board, a position he assumed Thursday. As he takes over the reins from outgoing Chairman Maurice Washington, Byrd envisions a bright future ripe with potential for his alma mater.

“It’s unlimited. I don’t see a ceiling. I see nothing but opportunity and potential. I think we’re going to get there,” he said.

Byrd will lead the board at a time when the university has a new leader in President Dr. George Cooper.

“I’m prepared to lead and manage the board. I believe Dr. Cooper is prepared to lead and manage the university,” he said.

It was partially through Byrd’s efforts on the presidential search committee that Cooper found his way from Washington to Orangeburg.

Now, the two seek to become the collective catalyst that will take the institution to greater heights in the face of mounting challenges, such as declining state funding and solving the long-standing issue of deferred maintenance.

“We’re going to support very strongly this chief executive,” Byrd said of Cooper.

He plans to have a meeting with Cooper in the coming weeks so the two can discuss the future of S.C. State.

Through his words, Clinton native Byrd makes it clear there will a distinction between the role of the board and that of the president.

He says the chairman has five primary duties: possessing extensive knowledge of the institution and its complexities, conducting good board meetings, acting as the board’s strongest advocate, establishing clear expectations and developing ways to strengthen the board’s effectiveness.

“Those are things I can control, things I know I can do. If I can do those things, I would consider myself to be a good chairman,” Byrd said.

He was first encouraged to join the S.C. State board in 2004 by the late John McCarroll, an alumnus and former trustee, when they went to S.C. State football games together. Several legislators and alumni also urged him to do so as well.

When the opportunity came around in 2006, Byrd put his name in the hat and was elected to the board by the General Assembly.

Two years later, Byrd was selected by his peers in July to be the next chairman. It’s a title he calls an honor and a prized position.

Being a chairman is nothing new to Byrd.

He has been the chairman of both Presbyterian College’s board of visitors and Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first African-American to hold that title.

In addition, he has served in a wide array of organizations in Laurens County, ranging from the advisory board of Carolina First Bank to the local Boys Scouts chapter.

“If you’ve got the time to serve, then why not?” Byrd said.

His footprint looms large in his hometown of Clinton where he helped develop the town’s strategic plan and was instrumental in spearheading the construction of a new high school.

Before the townspeople of Clinton approved a $48 million bond referendum for the school, Byrd and another local businessman took a huge risk by financially starting the effort. Once the referendum passed, he was reimbursed.

“I don’t know what would have happened if it hadn’t passed. I think we would have been out of all our money,” he said.

Before retiring, Byrd worked and traveled all over the country in places like Phoenix, Chicago and Los Angeles.

He started his career as a science teacher at a high school in Charleston. He then made a successful transition to the business world despite facing segregation.

In 1969, Byrd took a job with Schlitz Brewing Co. as a division sales representative for South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.

The next year, he interviewed to be the district manager at Schlitz but was turned down because his superior told him the South wasn’t ready for a black district manager.

His boss did tell him that when such a position opened up elsewhere, he would be considered. Before long, Byrd was hired for that position in Oakland, Calif.

Greyhound Lines then recruited him to work in San Francisco in the 1970s. Byrd was reluctant to accept the offer because of past discrimination he received from the company. He drove a Greyhound bus one summer when he lived in Charleston but only was allowed to do so because he graduated college, a requirement for African-Americans to drive the company’s buses at that time.

Greyhound’s Chuck Kirkpatrick, the man who recruited Byrd, assured him things were different. Byrd accepted the job at Greyhound and eventually rose through the corporate ranks.

Byrd then switched careers to work in distribution in 1985, where he worked for former Green Bay Packer Willie Davis. Three years later, Byrd started his own distribution and construction business.

He credits S.C. State with providing the tools he needed to succeed. “I just don’t believe any of those avenues would have been opened had I not attended and graduated from S.C. State,” he said.

He retired in 1992 with the dream of playing on the Senior PGA Tour.

While that dream eventually faded, a new dream has now emerged.

“I owe everything to S.C. State. That’s why I’m so willing to come back here and work so hard to make a contribution and a positive impact.”

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com and 803-534-1060.

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