On Thursday, August 30, 2018, Dr. R. Charles Byers will be the final speaker in the 2018 Block Speaker Series of “African American Life: A Personal Perspective” in the Archives and History Library in the Culture Center in Charleston. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Byers received a bachelor’s degree in education from West Virginia State University (WVSU) in 1968, an M.F.A. from The Ohio State University, and his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Kent State University. After teaching high school for several years, he joined the faculty of West Virginia State, where he taught for 22 years. He worked in college administration for the remainder of his 41-year career at the university and was provost and vice president for academic affairs when he retired in 2014.
After retirement, Byers formed the higher education consulting company, RC Byers Consulting, LLC. He is also an adjunct graduate faculty member in the Multicultural Instructional Leadership Program at WVSU. In addition, he is an active artist and enjoys visiting historic places.
Byers is a board member of the Central West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Booker T. Washington Foundation, the WVSU Research and Development Corporation, and the WVSU Foundation, and he is chair of the trustees at the First Baptist Church of Charleston. He is the recipient of the Distinguished West Virginian Award.
Dr. Byers and his wife Edithe, a retired high school and college English teacher, are the parents of Charles, Kevin, and Deborah and proud grandparents of five grandchildren.
Participants may park behind the Culture Center after 5:00 p.m. on August 30 and enter the building at the back loading dock area. There also is limited handicapped parking available in the new bus turnaround.
For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
