Did you ever have the opportunity to meet 'Liz' Byrd?

The former State Legislator served in the House and the Senate but she also made a difference in our community teaching second grade at Pioneer Park School.

Harriet Elizabeth Byrd passed away on Tuesday, January 27, at the age of 88 according to her son, Representative Jim Byrd. She had served in the State House from 1981 to 1988 and was elected to the State Senate the next year and stayed until 1992.

Mrs. Byrd was the first African-American woman to serve in the Wyoming Legislature and she was instrumental in getting the state to observe the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

I remember Mrs. Byrd from Pioneer Park Elementary School where she was my second grade teacher. She not only taught me cursive writing but how to get along with all different types of people and treat each other fairly. These were valuable skills that I still use today.

Several times over the years, I'd see Mrs. Byrd at stores around Cheyenne and I would always feel compelled to let her know how much she had taught me that year at Pioneer Park. She was always very gracious.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, February 2, and Governor Matt Mead has requested that flags be flown at half staff in Harriet 'Liz' Byrd's honor. She definitely helped make Cheyenne a better place to grow up.

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