Wake Forest Hall of Famer Tommy Byrne dies
12/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 23, 2007
Thomas Joseph Byrne, of 1108 Fairway Villas Drive, Wake Forest, died Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007, at his home. He was born Dec. 31, 1919, in Baltimore, Md., and was the son of the late Grace C. Phennice Byrne and Joseph Thomas Byrne. He attended Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and graduated from Baltimore City College High School. Mr. Byrne came to Wake Forest in 1937 and played baseball at Wake Forest College. After graduating from Wake Forest College, he signed with the New York Yankees in 1940. Although his career took him to many distant places, he loved Wake Forest and always felt so accepted. Wake Forest was equally fond of Mr. Byrne, honoring him in 1955 and again in 2007 at "Tommy Byrne Day" festivities. Every year since 1957, Mr. Byrne donated the Tommy Byrne Award at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving as Gunnery Officer on the U.S.S Ordronaux 617 in World War II. Mr. Byrne' s professional baseball career started in 1940 with the Newark Bears, a farm team for the Yankees, winning the International League Championship and being selected MVP. In 1943, he was on the New York Yankee World Championship team. During his baseball career, he played for the Tobacco State League in Angier from 1938 to 1939; the American League; the Pacific Coast League, where he was selected Player of the Year; the Pan American League in Maricabo, Venezuela. Tommy Byrne led each of these leagues in pitching. In 1950, he was selected American League All Star Player and in 1955 he was Come Back Player of the Year, playing on seven world championship teams with the Yankees before retiring from New York in 1957. After baseball, Tommy' s business endeavors included the oil business, farming operations, Byrne & Fish Clothing Stores, real estate development and Wake Forest Country Club. Mr. Byrne was extremely interested and active in the community affairs of Wake Forest. He was the first chairman of the Wake Forest Recreation Commission, a Town Commissioner, mayor for the town of Wake Forest and president of the Wake County Mayor' s Association. He served on the Governor' s Commission of Economic Development for RTP and was with the New York Yankees Good Will Tour for the United States in Japan in 1955. Mr. Byrne was a member of the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, the N.C. Hot Stove League Board of Directors and was an honorary board member of the Minor League Baseball Museum in Wilson. He was a member of the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame, the Baltimore City College Hall of Fame, the Wake Forest University Sports Hall of Fame and the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame. He received the Governor' s Award for baseball in 1989 and was selected "Tarheel of the Week" by the News & Observer. He was a founding member of Saint Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church and was presented the Wake Forest Birthplace Society Distinguished Service Award. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mary Susan Nichols Byrne; his brothers, Joseph T. Byrne Jr. and Edward Byrne; his "adopted parents," Coach John and Ella Caddell; and by his beloved dear friend, Nancy Clark. He is survived by his children, Thomas J. Byrne Jr. and his wife Sissy and John W. Byrne and his wife Patty, all of Fuquay-Varina; Susan Byrne Gantt and her husband Kyle of Andalusia, Ala., and Charles P. Byrne and his wife Betsy of Johnson City, Tenn.; grandchildren, Mary Collins Byrne, Arie Kathryn Byrne, Kyle Gantt Jr. and his wife Bonnie, Addy Gantt Kanaley, Mary Martha Gantt, Elizabeth Gantt, Shane V. Byrne, Rhett N. Byrne, Tara L. Byrne and Charles C. Byrne; great-grandchildren, Tommy Kanaley, Eva Kanaley, Brianna Gantt and Evan Gantt; and special friend, Donna Walsh. A Mass of Resurrection will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 27, at Saint Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church. Entombment will follow in Wake Forest Cemetery. A vigil service and rosary will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26, in the chapel of Bright Funeral Home. Visitation will follow the service from 7 to 9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Saint Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church Building Fund, 520 West Holding Ave., Wake Forest, NC 27587 or to the Wake Forest Birthplace Society, P.O. Box 494, Wake Forest, NC 27588. Online condolences may be made at www.brightfunerals.com.