“Billy”
Well, the calls are coming in from all over the country.
Below is the obituary for William J. Byrne, former Montclair High All State lineman on their legendary 1957 State Championship Team, Boston College All East selection, and five-year veteran of the NFL, drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. But beyond his achievements on the gridiron, Bill was the most gifted leader I have ever met and worked for. Just what was it, and did he not have at least some faults?
As you can see from the picture, Bill was as handsome as his Good Lord could make him. But at the same time, he had the heart of the Good Samaritan of Bible Scripture. Yes, he, too, had flaws growing up as an Irish Catholic kid in football-crazy Montclair, but in his maturing as a Jersey Guy, he grew to respect authority, appreciate hard work, and understand that you never stop learning. I think he received all that from his parents, his Catholic up-bringing, and the likes of the legendary Coach Clary Anderson and his assistant, Butch Fortunato at Montclair High. But, particularly like the Good Samaritan, he came to value the latent potential in all who would address him as Mr. Byrne, “Burl”, or just “Billy”. Whether their failures were alcohol, poor parenting, lack of education, post-traumatic stress from war, hopelessness, … or just depression from tough times, “Billy” would always listen. And if you played high school football in Essex County, and even went on to college to do so, he gave you a pass on lots of other stuff as well. Someone who fought the enemy hand-to-hand in war for his beloved United States of America? In that case, he would listen to you for hours, his respect for such sacrifice and for those who followed and led the charge … was incalculable.
What was the lesson he taught us about building a team from such motley participants? “Easy is the task that is shared by many.”
If the American Resort Development Association has a Hall of Fame, Bill should be a charter member. Leading Boise Cascade Recreational Communities on the East Coast in the Seventies, he built Sales, Marketing, and Development teams in the Eighties that were the talk of America. His own companies like Dunes Marketing Group of Hilton Head, South Carolina sent his team members on to world-leading hospitality companies like Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, the Rank Group of England, and their own entrepreneurial ventures around the world. But where were his flaws?
As a leader, he was an influencer—the way we dressed, spoke, our respect for our clients, especially seniors; reverence for God; knowing-understanding-and developing our skills for our work; but in the end, he really made us feel like we and he were “best friends”. And, while to this day our hearts warm to think of our times together, we came to realize you can only have one “best friend”. His fault? We still felt we were the “ones”, but eventually growing up and realizing that we all cannot be “the” best friend.
In addition, he had his detractors. Surprisingly to some today, the sign of a great leader is that not everyone necessarily likes that person, particularly if that individual reveals uncomfortable truths, that few others have the courage to utter. Paul, the Great Apostle said it best in Galatians 4:16, … “Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth.” In the end, with his personal power, love, and frankness, he knew how to make champions out of his team-members, by telling them the truth, even when it hurt.
Oh, how meaningful was the following lesson from “Billy”: “The situation does not make the person—it reveals the person.” In fact, today he might disturb many of us by saying: “The pandemic has not changed us—it has revealed us.”
So, in the end, we say “goodbye” to Bill Byrne from Montclair, New Jersey. But it will never be a final “goodbye”, because we will see him when we pass Gordonhurst, the street of his childhood home in Montclair; when we end up at Woodman Field to watch a Montclair game where he cleared the way for the legendary Haines Brothers in that historic ’57 season; when we stop in at Tierney’s or get a glimpse of the now departed Burns Country Inn on Valley Road; or when we reflect upon our own success due to his leadership and love. Or, … when we weaken and allow our glancing back at “Billy”, … to become hypnotic stares. Therefore, perhaps we should allow “Billy” to say “goodbye” to us, because a great leader wants that chance at the proper time. And the Scotsman, “Billy” Boyd may have been thinking of the Irishman, “Billy” Byrne, as he sang “goodbye” to his armies in his iconic, “The Last Goodbye”.
Thank you, Billy Byrne, your armies also say “goodbye” to you, … and thanks for the memories.
Billy Boyd's "Last Goodbye"
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