Dear Bucknellians,
The campus community mourns the passing of Reed Byrum, who died on October 14, 2019. At the time of his passing he had been employed at Bucknell for 4 years as a business consultant in the Small Business Development Office.
Included below is the complete text of the obituary, as provided by the family.
You are encouraged to visit our In Memoriam Site at bucknell.edu/InMemoriam and share personal notes of sympathy and remembrance with others.
On behalf of our entire University community, I extend our deepest sympathies to Reed’s family, as well as to all who knew him at Bucknell.
John C. Bravman
President
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Reed Bolton Byrum passed away Monday, October 14 following a battle with esophageal cancer. Relatives and friends are warmly invited to attend a celebration of life October 26, 2019, at 11 a.m. in Rooke Chapel, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA.
A distinguished corporate executive, Reed traveled throughout the nation living and working in California, Texas, Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, before settling in Lewisburg, PA, with his wife, Kristie Byrum, an Associate Professor at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and children, James Byrum, Caroline Bohm, and Bradley Bohm. He was an active parishioner of St. Andrews Episcopal Church, faithfully participating in the Open Table ministry and served as Lay Eucharist Minister. He was a devout Christian and helped others grow in the faith journey.
He began his career with the Gannett Co., Inc., before serving in progressively advanced roles at four Silicon Valley companies. He then moved to Texas, where he held corporate leadership roles for EDS Corp. in Plano and Trilogy in Austin. Skilled in mergers and acquisitions, Reed counseled companies on financial structures and market positioning. A former journalist and editor, Reed worked for numerous newspapers and a wire service, earning numerous accolades and journalism awards.
Together with his wife Kristie, Reed co-founded the Byrum Innovation Group in Greenville, SC, counseling high tech companies and financial institutions. After arriving in Lewisburg, Reed brought his nationally-recognized talents to the local economy and worked as a business advisor at the Small Business Development Center at Bucknell University, counseling local businesses and helping area entrepreneurs achieve dreams.
Throughout his life, Reed generously gave back to his profession. He served as President and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), as president of the South Carolina and Silicon Valley chapters of the PRSA, and was the founding Board member of the West Coast Strategic Communications Institute. Reed served as guest lecturer at more than 40 universities, and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He delivered the keynote addresses at the prestigious Don Davis Symposium on Ethics at the Pennsylvania State University, and at the Washington and Lee University’s Institute on Media Ethics.
Reed served on many boards over his lifetime, sharing his time, talent, energy, intelligence and skills with organizations that included the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, the local AYSO, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Metro Greenville YMCA, Capital Area Homeless Alliance, Emeryville (CA) Community Action Program, and many more.
Reed grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at Washington and Lee University. He was an accredited public relations practitioner and a member of the PRSA College of Fellows.
Reed is survived by his wife, Kristie, son James Byrum, stepson Bradley Bohm, and stepdaughter Caroline Bohm. Other survivors include son Reed Byrum Jr., grandson Reed Bolton Byrum III and brother James Byrum, all of Wheeling, W.V., and in-laws Donald and Peggy Baumgartner of Lewisburg. Reed brought joy to all those he met, and constantly served others.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Reed Byrum Memorial Fund, c/o Brubaker Group LLC, 23 N. Derr Dr., Suite 2, Lewisburg, PA 17837.
My thoughts go out to Reed’s family. I only spoke to him a few times but he was a very nice man.
Reed will be sorely missed. He was both a treasured friend and a highly impactful colleague at Bucknell. My condolences go to all who were close to Reed, especially his family. -Pat Mather
My sincere condolences go out to Reed’s family. He was such a kind soul and will be missed.