Necrology

John Vincent Byrne '51

May. 9, 1928-Jan. 11, 2024

John Vincent Byrne ’51 died on Jan. 11, 2024, at his home in Corvallis, Ore. Born in Hempstead, N.Y., on May 9, 1928, he came to Hamilton from Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua. On the Hill, he was a member of Chi Psi fraternity and majored in geology, which would become the foundation of his subsequent career. 

John was a member of the band as well as the lacrosse team as a freshman. Beginning in his sophomore year and continuing to graduation, he served on the Chapel Board. As a junior, he was awarded the McKinney Prize for Public Speaking, and, while a senior, he was in the Geology Club. His academic accomplishments were distinguished: He graduated with honors in geology and was also awarded the Rogers Prize for a senior who excelled academically in that field.

From Hamilton, John proceeded to Columbia University where he earned a master’s degree in geology in 1953. He then made his way to the University of Southern California to pursue doctoral studies in geology. He completed his degree in June 1957 with a dissertation on “The Marine Geology of the Gulf of California,” the “gulf” referring to the body of water separating Baja California from the “mainland” of Mexico. This research marked the beginning of John’s career in oceanography.

Early in his doctoral studies, while in the company of some classmates, John was drawn to a young woman who had caught his eye. Uncertain what to do about this, and dared by his friends to do something, John approached her and said, “I can’t think of a subtle way to meet you. Do you mind if I try a direct approach?” Shirley O’Conner, a student at Whittier College, clearly did not mind in the least, nor did she mind missing her next class to continue talking with John. They were married in Los Angeles on Nov. 26, 1954. They had three daughters, two of whom were twins, and a son.

John initially accepted a job as a research geologist for Humble Oil & Refinery Co. in Houston in 1957 and remained there until 1960. In the course of that work, he determined that what he really wanted to do was teach. He left Humble to join the Department of Oceanography at Oregon State College (now Oregon State University) in Corvallis.

The Oceanography Department was relatively new at Oregon State and John was instrumental in developing it. As well, he developed a great reputation as an instructor, receiving the Lloyd Carter Award for outstanding teaching in 1964, an honor he later said he prized above all others. In 1966, he was promoted to associate professor and, that same year, took a one-year leave to become the program director in oceanography for the National Science Foundation. As he later put it, his job there was “to give away money.” 

He returned to OSU in 1967. Shortly after he was promoted to chair of 

the department and, in 1972, to dean of the newly established School of Oceanography. That same year, John also became the director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ore., and on the Pacific coast. In 1977, having been appointed acting dean of research for a year, “acting” was dropped from his title, and he was in that capacity until 1980, when he was named vice president for research and graduate studies.

After serving on numerous advisory panels for various agencies, including the National Science Foundation as well as the Agriculture, Interior, Commerce, State, and Defense departments, he was appointed to committees of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Science, including NRC’s Ocean Policy Committee from 1978 to 1980. It was hardly surprising, then, that in 1981 President Ronald Reagan, acting on the recommendations of those acquainted with John’s accomplishments (including Oregon’s two senators, Mark Hatfield and Robert Packwood), appointed him as director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

Established in 1970 as part of the Department of Commerce, NOAA, in the view of its new director, needed a fundamental reorganization in order to make the best use of its fiscal resources. The result was the creation of five divisions: the National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Weather Service, the National Ocean Service, the National Environmental Satellite, Information, and Data Service, and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. To strengthen ties both to industry and other private groups, he established a Business Affairs Office, an Extension Program Office, and a prototype Ocean Service Center, in Seattle, to be the point of access to many of NOAA’s ocean-related programs. 

In addition to his leadership of NOAA, John was appointed U.S. commissioner to the International Whaling Commission, where he pushed for a moratorium on commercial whaling and for a policy to manage whale hunting internationally. In 1982, his proposed moratorium was adopted, and John then personally led efforts to persuade non-member nations to adopt the commission’s policy.

In 1984, John and his family returned to OSU when he was appointed the university’s 12th president. His tenure coincided with recognition of difficult times for the university and for public universities as a whole: it was a period during which many state legislatures were cutting back their support of public higher education. In 1990, a majority of voters supported an initiative to cap property taxes, which had an immediate impact on the university in the form of budget cuts that required the elimination of certain programs and the departure of faculty.

However, John was able to forge an alliance that continued to strengthen OSU as it faced funding restrictions at the state level. He decentralized the university administrative structure, bolstered its athletics programs, established a minority affairs board — this in response to a series of untoward incidents affecting students of color — and helped to raise $40 million for the expansion of the university’s library. He also oversaw the addition of 30 new degree programs and certificates, strengthened the institution’s academic reputation, and increased the school’s level of fundraising.

At that time, the typical tenure of a university president was between six and eight years. If John had followed suit, he would have departed in the midst of the funding crisis; instead, he chose to stay. By the time he did step down on Dec. 31, 1995, the university had regained its financial footing, and his retirement became the occasion for the state to take stock of his service. Described in one newspaper as “a giant in Oregon education” and “a rare executive who clearly sees that his basic job has been completed, who chooses to step down while everyone still is sorry to see him leave,” John’s contributions to higher education were also celebrated on the Hill when, at Commencement exercises on May 22, 1994, he received the honorary degree Doctor of Law.

The Hamilton citation read in part: “Ready accessibility and responsiveness to campus concerns are among the keys to your success, as is your deeply felt commitment to your adopted state and to its educational and economic advancement.”

With a wealth of experience and institutional memory as well as his enduring commitment to higher education, John did not step away from academia following retirement. Beginning in 1995, he led the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities for the five years of its existence. Among its accomplishments were five reports addressed to academic leaders, not only alluding to changes then already taking place on various campuses but also outlining other reforms necessary for the future success of public higher education. 

One remarkably prescient conclusion the commission presented in its first report was: “In the next century … the emphasis will be on delivering instruction anywhere, anytime, and to practically anyone who seeks it. … Unless public colleges and universities become the architects of change, they will be its victims.” Today, of course, web-based distance learning is a significant part of all levels of study.

Closer to home, John’s retirement did not end his engagement with OSU. He taught courses in its Honors College, participated in various university and arts events, and pursued his own scholarly interests. He also published a memoir, Undercurrents (Oregon State University Press, 2017), recounting his life from childhood through his career as scientist, educator, and administrator. He enjoyed fishing, kayaking, white-water rafting, snorkeling in tropical waters, and skiing, both downhill and cross-country.

For much of his life, John carried a sketch pad in which he drew birds encountered on numerous trips, including the varied species of Darwin’s finches living on the Galapagos Islands. In retirement, he added painting in acrylic to his activities, joining an organization of amateur painters: the Imagine Coffee Painters Group. His works were exhibited in local galleries and also on his home refrigerator.

He and Shirley were strong supporters of classical music in Corvallis, where he was treasurer on the board of the OSU-Corvallis Symphony and chaired a group that raised funds for the purchase of a Steinway concert grand piano.

John placed a high value on his undergraduate education. As he noted in his 50th reunion yearbook: “Integrity and honesty — big time! Public speaking, four years of it, was an incredible asset. Hard work and responsibility were reinforced from what I learned from my parents. Hamilton was a great preparation for the life that succeeded it.” 

Among the faculty members he names as most influential were three members of the Geology Department, Nelson Dale, Philip Oxley, and Cecil Schneer, along with Williard “Swampy” Marsh in public speaking and Hardy Wickwar in political science.

John served the College as a volunteer for the Priorities for Hamilton capital campaign and Career Center and on his class’s reunion gift committee, among other contributions. For 44 years, he also donated to the Hamilton Fund.

John V. Byrne was predeceased by a daughter and is survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, and four grandchildren. 

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