Oliver W. Byrd

Oliver Wendell Byrd was born on September 29, 1949 in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was called home at the age of 70, on December 3, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Oliver attended Baxter Elementary School and graduated from Westinghouse High School, where he was an honoree of the school’s Hall of Frame. At Westinghouse, Oliver was first, chair of both the band and the orchestra. He was first board and captain of the chess team, a member of the national honor society and president of the student body. Upon Graduation, Oliver earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University where aside from course work in mathematics, he was Chairman of Adams House Photographic Society and Subscription Manager of the Harvard Journal of Negro Affairs. At the age of 19, in his sophomore year, Oliver worked at the NASA Electronics Research Center and held secret security clearance. Oliver also held an MBA degree from the University of Pittsburgh, concentrating in finance and economics. Oliver attended Baptist Temple Church all of his life, accepting Jesus Christ at the age of twelve. At Baptist Temple, he served in a number of roles including Men’s Bible Class teacher, Superintendent of the Sunday School and Chairman of the Trustee Board. Following graduation from Harvard, Oliver was recruited by and hired as a Systems Engineer in IBM’s Public Sector Office. Subsequently, Oliver was hired by Mellon Bank in its Pittsburgh headquarters. This began a thirty-five-year career in the area of banking and finance. At Mellon, he held a number of management roles including manager of financial systems, manager of retail product development, manager of marketing information and research, and head of Corporate Marketing. With the acquisition of the Dreyfus Mutual Fund Company, Oliver served eight years as Senior Vice President and Director of Knowledge Management. With the merger of Bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation, Oliver was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President and Manager of HR Strategy. 

Oliver was very active in the community with most of his contributions in the fields of arts, health, and community services. Major highlights included: Chairman of the Board of the United Way of Allegheny County, Chairman of the Board of the Multicultural Arts Initiative (MCAI- a supporting organization of the Pittsburgh Foundation) and Chairman of the Board of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. A sample of past board memberships include the mayor’s Private Industry Council, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, The Ellis School, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, The Afro American Music Institute, Umoja, F.A.M.E., Hill Dance Academy Theatre, the Area Association on Aging and the Board of Visitors at the University of Pittsburgh School of International Studies. Oliver received a number of awards and recognitions during his lifetime. Some of which included: Real Pittsburgher by Pittsburgh Magazine, HJ Heinz Volunteer of the Year by the United Way, Founder—Black MBAs Pittsburgh Chapter, Ron Brown Civic Leadership Award by the Urban League Renaissance Man by Renaissance Magazine, Multicultural Leader Award by National Diversity Council, Nelson Mandela Award by Umoja, Keepers of the Flame Award, African American Leadership Award by Duquesne Light and National Black Achievers in Industry Award by Harlem YMCA. He is survived by his wife, Karla Threadgill Byrd; his two daughters, Dalila Byrd King (Jason), and Dr. Catherine Thelma Byrd; his brother, Glen Byrd; in-laws, Terry Byrd, Marian Threadgill, Darien Threadgill (Grace), Patricia Hill, Bradford Threadgill (Desiree); nieces Rhonda Eason, Veronica Byrd, Courtney Buggs (Richard) and Ashley Byrd; his grandsons Ja’mier, Ja’den, and Christopher King; and a host of other beloved relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, William Byrd; mother, Catherine Byrd; his brother, Jerry Byrd and sister-in-law, Lisa Byrd.

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