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I haven't been able to find a good history of James F. Byrnes High School. If anyone out there has one, please send it to Pam Brown Reid to post here. It would be very interesting to read a history of the school, the year it began and other facts we probably don't know about our Alma Mater.
What I do know is that our school was named for Statesman, Jurist, and Humanitarian, James Francis Byrnes (1879 - 1972
). He was affectionately known as Pop Byrnes. Pop Byrnes was the most the most distinguished Carolinian of his time. Below are a few facts about his notable career. He was an incredible man and certainly worthy of the many honors bestowed upon him.
- Mr. Byrnes is one of the few public servants to have served in all three branches of federal government. He served in the executive branch as the Assistant President (Director of Economic Stabilization and Director of War Mobilization); in the judicial branch, Mr. Byrnes was appointed to the US Supreme Court; and in the legislative branch, he served in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.
- When President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Mr. Byrnes as Director of War Mobilization, he gave him more authority than had previously been delegated to any public official. The appointment gave Mr. Byrnes "power to originate policies and lay out programs that would coordinate the work of all the war agencies and federal departments in any way connected with the production, procurement, transportation and distribution of both civilian and military supplies."
- Mr. Byrnes met with the scientists who developed the atomic bomb to discuss government policy concerning the bomb. The meeting occurred at the request of Dr. Albert Einstein and took place in Spartanburg, SC. Present at the meeting were many scientists who were concerned about how the government planned to use nuclear weapons.
- Mr. Byrnes once said that he shared Tolstoy's philosophy: "The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity."
- Mr. Byrnes was the 24th inductee into the South Carolina Hall of Fame. He was enshrined posthumously on January 11, 1982.
- Mr. Byrnes was Time magazine's Man Of The Year in 1946.
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