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In Remembrance of BikeTexas Outreach Coordinator Byron de Sousa |
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Wednesday, 01 October 2008 |
On Saturday, September 27, Texas cyclists lost a great friend and advocate as Byron de Sousa, former BikeTexas Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Outreach Coordinator, passed away at age 59 after a long battle with prostate cancer. Born in Brazil but later becoming an American citizen, Byron made Fort Worth his home for the last 17 years. Those who knew him valued his kindness, intelligence and readiness with a joke. We at BikeTexas will miss Byron greatly.
"Byron had a rich personality to go with his enchanting Brazilian
accent. I loved the way he would say, "KC, my friend" when he started
an explanation. Byron was a brilliant scholar and brought expertise and
experience to our team. Byron was very involved with local Fort Worth
bicycle advocacy and influenced the city's installation of sixty miles
of shared lane markings (sharrows) and cycling signage. Now, miles of
sharrows on Fort Worth city streets will serve as a reminder to us all
of Byron's impact. Just as important, thousands of children will be
more active and safer cyclists because of the time and attention Byron
devoted to encouraging biking and walking to school and bicycle safety
education," said KC Jones, fellow BikeTexas SRTS Outreach Coordinator.
During Byron's long illness, his family incurred significant medical
bills. In lieu of flowers, you may help the family defray those costs
by making a donation to Byron's Memorial Fund at Washington Mutual Bank
- account # 8850713849. A memorial service will be announced this week.
Byron joined Texas Bicycle Coalition staff as a BikeTexas SRTS Fort
Worth Local Outreach Coordinator in January 2006. He had served as the
chairman of the Fort Worth City Planning Commission. He was involved in
the planning and construction of bicycle routes and trails with the
City of Fort Worth and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
He also worked as a professor at University of North Texas Health
Science Center and Tarrant County College. Prior to moving to Fort
Worth, where he lived for 17 years, Byron received his M.D. from the
University of Brasilia, served his medical internship and
anesthesiology and pain management residency at the University of
Southern California, Los Angeles County Medical Center and received his
Ph.D. in physiological chemistry from Ohio State University. As a
community leader, he served on the board of his neighborhood
association and with the Fort Worth League of Neighborhood Associations
as director of government affairs. He raised funds for various
charitable projects including neighborhood construction projects, KERA
television, biomedical courses, seminars and workshops. Byron has been
recognized for his extensive community service with numerous awards,
and he was fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French.
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