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View a eulogy for Joshua Todd Byers, USMA '96, who passed away on July 23, 2003.

Joshua Todd Byers

West Point, 1996

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Dr. Paul R. Munger on March 2, 2005:

Several years ago I had the opportunity to teach a class of students who were attending the EOAC at FLW, Mo. which including among the outstanding group of students one Josh Byers. I found Josh to be an extremely interesting individual, and perhaps typical of the students I was honored to call my students. The best way to characterize these young officers was mature, aggressive, dependable, conscientious, creative and intelligent. After teaching civil engineering courses for 42 years, it was such a pleasure to share my experiences, especially in the realm of engineering ethics and professional responsibility, with such conscientious and resourceful students. Josh was one of them, and a very good one.

I shall never forget the short e-mail he sent me after leaving the EOAC and receiving his MS degree in Engineering Management, in which he had a listing of "Quotes from Dr. Munger's Lectures". I was amazed that he was so thoughtful; he obviously had planned to do this from the first day of the class on "Professional Responsibility in the Practice of Engineering". What forthought he possessed; he demonstrated special insight into what the class really meant to him as a person. One of his comments to me on the evaluation of the class was to not change anything but plow ahead to share my experiences with my students.

I have always said that professors are so fortunate because they never realize how far their influence extends in molding the lives and the thought processes of their students. The greatest reward to me is "to bask in the reflected glory of the successes of my former students". Josh represents the highest standard of human life, and I am personally proud to say he was my student.

I am well aware of the fact that Josh was as concerned about his spiritual life as he was about his human life. I believe he knew exactly where he was going when God called him to be with him. We can take much comfort in the knowledge that Josh is with his, and our, loved ones in the final home where we, too will join him someday.
As long as I remain here on earth, I will miss the e-mails I occasionally received from my friend, Josh, but I realize he is happy, smiling and hoping that we not mourn his loss too much, but rather that we carry on doing the good work in which he would be involved if he were still with us. I have tried often to contact his wife, Kim, to see if she is keeping her chin up, for Josh was very proud of her and told me "it is her time now to get her education and become a nurse". She has helped me long enough. How beautiful.

The bottom line: Josh Byers was a unique, special person, a former student of mine of whom I will be proud, especially for his unselfish sacrifice in the service of his country and his God.


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