Saturday, Jul. 09, 2011
Kidd, Byron honored at annual garden celebration
Courtesy photo
John Hoffman, Cass Regional’s physical therapist, presents Judy Byron with the 2011 Dr. Harold E. Kirsch Award, in honor of her late husband, Osmond Byron.
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Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation’s 12th annual Memorial Garden Celebration was held in the rotunda of Cass Regional Sunday, June 5.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of the Foundation Award to Fred V. Kidd Jr., and the Dr. Harold E. Kirsch Award in honor of the late Osmond “Oz” Byron.
Fred V. Kidd Jr.
The Foundation Award is presented annually to a person who has demonstrated steadfast dedication to the mission of Cass Regional Medical Center and to improving the quality of health care in Cass County.
Sonya McLelland, administrative director of foundation, marketing and public relations for Cass Regional, presented the 2011 Foundation Award to Kidd.
Kidd is a 1952 graduate of Peculiar High School and a U.S. Navy veteran. He spent 12 years on active duty, which included several years at sea and serving on the staff of Vice Admiral Goode at the Pentagon. Upon return to civilian life, Kidd and his family managed a large dairy and farming operation in Bonner Springs, Kan., but eventually sold their interest in the farm and moved back to the Peculiar area. Kidd entered an electrician apprenticeship program and later joined Boese-Hilburn Electric Company as a supervisor.
In 1984, Kidd was severely injured at work after coming into contact with 13,000 volts. Doctors were not optimistic that he would survive and cautioned his family that even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to work again. Kidd battled through the torturous recovery process at KU’s burn unit and despite doctors’ predictions that he’d be hospitalized for at least 30 weeks, he was discharged approximately eight weeks after the accident.
As Kidd completed rehabilitation, he was hired by Wilhelm Construction Company to be the electrical superintendent on a plant renovation project for National Starch Company in Kansas City. He later joined National Starch as the construction and utilities manager for the plant. Kidd retired after 20 years with the company, but continues to consult for National Starch at their plants both in Kansas City and around the world.
In the mid-1960s, Kidd ran for the office of municipal judge in Peculiar and was subsequently elected for multiple terms until Missouri state law required him to retire from the bench at the age of 72. During his tenure as judge, Kidd spent several years on the board of the Missouri Municipal and Associate Judges Association, including a term as president from 1991-1992.
Kidd is an ordained minister in the Community of Christ church and currently holds the office of evangelist. He has four congregations assigned to him and preaches an average of two to three Sundays per month at congregations throughout the region. He has also officiated at countless weddings and funerals in his capacity as both judge and minister.
Kidd’s connection to Cass Regional Medical Center began when his late wife, Gerri, worked as a CNA and later an LPN, at what was then known as Cass County Memorial Hospital. Since the 1970s, Kidd has served as a volunteer chaplain at the hospital and regularly visits hospitalized patients in addition to providing emergency pastoral care during deaths and other difficult situations.
After Gerri’s passing, Kidd and many of Gerri’s family and friends established the Gerri Kidd Scholarship at Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation and to date more than $7,500 has been awarded to students pursuing a career in nursing. In March 2001, Kidd joined the board of directors of Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation and served many years as the organization’s president. He and his wife, Connie, have volunteered for numerous foundation projects and fundraising events and are donors to many foundation programs.
Osmond “Oz” Byron
Dr. Harold E. Kirsch was a longtime Harrisonville physician and the Dr. Harold E. Kirsch Award pays tribute, posthumously, to an individual who has made a memorable, long-standing contribution to Cass Regional Medical Center and Cass County. This year the award paid tribute to the late Osmond “Oz” Byron and was presented by John Hoffman, PT, physical therapy manager at Cass Regional. The award was accepted by Byron’s wife, Judy.
Byron was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a medical technologist and also received radiological training at a Washington, D.C., hospital. From there, he and his family relocated to Vinita, Okla., where Byron worked at Eastern State Hospital as head of the laboratory and administered anesthesia during surgical cases.
Through mutual friends, Byron and his second wife, Judy, met when Judy had just finished nurses training. Judy continued in her studies and became a nurse anesthetist.
In 1968, a relatively new and thriving Cass County Memorial Hospital recruited Judy to join its ranks and the Byrons relocated to Harrisonville. Byron also joined the hospital staff and first worked in the laboratory before transferring to radiology.
For several years in the early 1980s, Byron was the president of ARCRT (American Registry of Clinical Radiologic Technologists), a national organization of radiological technologists who had been working in the field for many years, but who lacked formal classroom training. As more and more hospitals required formal classroom training, the on the job trained (OJT) techs were squeezed out or lacked mobility to move from job to job.
Byron believed very strongly that they were as informed, if not more so, than classroom-trained techs and he worked hard for their recognition. ARCRT, like the classroom-trained ARRT (Amer-ican Registry of Radiologic Technologists) membership organization, offered strenuous testing for proof of competency, membership conventions throughout the country, continuing education and other benefits.
Byron passed away in Kansas City in 2003. “Oz liked being with patients and did well with them,” said his wife, Judy. “He was very outgoing and really liked people and in turn, people really liked him.” The Memorial Garden was created in memory of Rosemary Kauffman, RN, a Cass Regional supervisor who passed away in 1996. The recipients of the Foundation Award and the Dr. Harold E. Kirsch Award are selected by an appointed and volunteer committee of board members, past honorees and employees. Among the features of the garden are a gazebo, engraved benches and a brick terrace with engraved bricks placed there to memorialize and honor individuals.
For more information on Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation, or to place a brick in the garden, contact Melissa Lattin at 816-380-3474, extension 4810.
