A Tribute to Professor Christopher Byrnes

by John R. Lund

Chris Byrnes moved into the mathematical world and my life at the University of Utah in the Fall of 1975. I met him when Dave Gilliam and I helped him move into his new apartment. As there was more mescal than items to move, it was one of a few times I can fondly recall moving anyone.

There were a lot of good times in Utah. A number of them involved a bar called My Wife’s Place. The locally famous Gilliam Christmas cheer delivery was another fond memory. I joined Dave on those early morning travels to various faculty homes. In all of the trips we made over the years Chris one of very few instructors we ever had on our list.

After I left Utah and moved to Montana, I lost track of Chris, but I stayed connected with Dave. In the Fall of 1987 I had the fortunate opportunity to teach at Texas Tech University. While there I once again worked and spent time with Dave, plus I met Clyde Martin and was reacquainted with Chris. During this time the future Computation and Control Conferences at Montana State University were born. In January of 1988, Chris visited Bozeman to help Ken Bowers and myself organize the conference. He took me to some fancy restaurant that I didn't even know existed, and the dinner carried a tab that surpassed all pay grades with which I was familiar. Chris said, “don’t worry, lets have an after dinner brandy, Birkhauser will pick up the tab.” I learned much later from others that Chris picked up the bill. Chris quietly did many things for a lot of people and never expected any credit for the good he did for them. It is not possible to explain the positive influence Chris had on colleagues of mine at Montana State University. He simply touched many lives, inspired minds, and left a lasting impression on all.

Chris was amazing. He had within him a kind heart, and a mind that absorbed and remembered everything he learned. In Bremen, Germany one summer, Chris was showing me a statue of the cock on a cat on a hound on a donkey in the town square. I asked Chris, “What is this statue all about?” He replied, “Lets go to a pub, and I’ll tell you about it”. We didn’t step into a tourist bar near the square, but he led me off the beaten path and down a narrow lane. There we entered a vibrant bar and were greeted by a large German lady who said, “Professor Byrnes, you’ve been gone too long.” What ensued was one of the most memorable happy hours I’ll never fully recall. I learned Budweiser was a Czechoslovakian beer and that the brewery in St. Louis “stole” the name. I can remember the bar lady introducing me to a Viertel (quarter beer warm up). After settling in Chris says “you wanted to know about the statue?” I found myself listening to an authority on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale The Town Musicians of Bremin. Chris was amazing. It seemed as if anything he had ever learned he could immediately access from his vast memory file.

Chris was one of many who gave me the encouragement and guidance that contributed to the success of the Computation and Control Conferences. The first of these conferences occurred in August of 1988 at Montana State University. In June of that year I remember being very nervous that I would screw it up. Chris and many wonderful people showed up that summer and the conference continued through six iterations ending in August of 1998. There are numerous pleasant recollections. After my wife Nancy met Chris during one of these conferences she said to me “we all need more friends like Chris.” His efficacious influence and humble confidence inspired many fortunate enough to be around him (quite a few at the Cannery bar in Bozeman). I would probably never have met Tom Banks or John Burns had I not known my good friends Chris Byrnes and David Gilliam. I honor the memory of Chris and thank Dave for putting together this memorial conference.