The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING I. RAY BYRD
______
HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of I. Ray Byrd, who passed away on January 30, 2022. Mr. Byrd was a businessman and community leader in Salem, Virginia.
Mr. Byrd was born on September 1, 1928, in Martinsville, Virginia to Daniel Edward and Virgie Holt Byrd. He attended Randolph Macon College and finished his education at the Medical College of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. He later went on to spend two years as a United States Marine and attained the rank of Captain.
He and his wife, Nina, moved to Salem, Virginia in 1954. This is where he and his dear friend, Ervin Pollard Brooks, founded Brooks-Byrd Pharmacy. Brooks-Byrd Pharmacy became an iconic Salem location and is still open today. Further, the pharmacy's patrons benefited from the kindness of Mr. Byrd. In a throwback to an earlier age, it allowed their regular customers to carry accounts forward. This was very helpful to many struggling families throughout the years--including single-parent households such as mine when I was a kid. The community will be forever indebted to Mr. Byrd and Mr. Brooks for their dedicated, selfless service.
Throughout his pharmaceutical career, Mr. Byrd also served as a pharmacist at the Bradley Free Clinic, Richfield Pharmacy, and the VA Hospital. He was also a member of the Roanoke Valley Pharmaceutical and the Virginia Pharmaceutical Associations.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Mr. Byrd devotedly volunteered and worked to improve his community. He served in the Salem Kiwanis Club, Salem Chamber of Commerce, Salem Museum, Salem Sports Foundation, and the Salem Industrial Authority. For five years he served as the chairman of the City of Salem School Board. Mr. Byrd especially valued faith and family. He was an active member and trustee of the Salem Baptist Church.
Mr. Byrd's survivors include his wife, Nina Byrd; his children, Dr. Carol Byrd and her husband, I. Ray Byrd, Jr. and his wife, Mary Catherine Ruskan, and Laura Byrd Earle and her husband; his grandchildren, Bradley Barr, Dr. Ann Cameron Barr and her husband, Dr. Andrew Barr and his wife, Nicholas Byrd and his wife, Alison Byrd Walker and her husband, Caroline Byrd Heflin and her husband, Matthew Ruskan, Catherine Ruskan, Nina Earle, Samuel Earle, and Hank Earle; and great-grandchildren Alicia Byrd, Cecilia Byrd, Smith Barr, Ellis Barr, and Sophia Walker. I offer them my condolences on their loss.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 46
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