Braxton Byrd was a phenomenal young man—personable, caring, extremely intelligent, and devoted to his wide circle of family, friends and acquaintances. In his brief, but hard-lived 23 years, the University of Oklahoma construction science graduate left a lasting impact on everyone he encountered.
So, when Braxton passed away following a boating accident in July 2022, only weeks after graduating, his parents, Rick and Dava Byrd, were left with the overwhelming challenge of how to cope with their grief and honor their son’s memory.
The answer came when they created the Braxton Byrd Foundation, which raises funds to contribute to a growing list of local charitable organizations, as well as an endowed scholarship in his name.
“Setting up the foundation and seeing it grow drives us, because it allows us to still talk about Braxton,” the couple said. “It allows us to still feel his impact in this community, and it also—because of his age and his friend group—it has allowed a lot of 20-somethings to feel like they can give back as well.”
Now firmly established, the Braxton Byrd Foundation focuses on assisting the broader community. Its origins began when Braxton graduated and joined the family business, Byrd Building, as a project manager. As soon as he was working full time, Braxton immediately made his first charitable contribution: a five-year pledge to a building campaign for Norman’s Virtue Center.
“That’s when it started,” Dava said. “We knew about Braxton’s pledge and how important it was to him, so we asked for donations to the center to cover what his contribution would have been for the five years, and we got that, and more.
"Our friends gave, and the community gave, and that was nice that the contribution had been fulfilled, but it also allowed us to channel and to do something positive with our grief and reminds us why we do it.”
The funds raised each year are distributed among nearly 20 nonprofits, and “most of them are things that meant something to Braxton, or that he had ties with in some way,” Rick said. “That’s very important to us.”
The list of charities helped by the foundation’s efforts is growing, and includes the Assistance League of Norman, Camp Blue Hawk (for children with diabetes), The Parkinson’s Alliance and the American Cancer Society, to name just a few.
Fundraisers are ongoing throughout the year, including a Live Hard Music Festival benefit concert (held Sept. 28 this year) and an upcoming Holiday Home Tour on Nov. 16 (see website below for details).
More information about the foundation, the scholarship and ways you can help is available at BraxtonByrd.Foundation, and on Facebook at Remembering Braxton Byrd.
Along with the foundation activities, the Byrds also have established an endowed scholarship through the OU Foundation, specifically for the Gibbs College of Architecture’s Construction Science program.
Their initial contribution has been matched by corporate and private donors and continues to grow. The first scholarship was presented in 2023, and the plan is to eventually award four to five scholarships each year, Dava said.
“Braxton was a very compassionate person, very thoughtful and more mindful, and incredibly smart,” Rick said.
“Growing up, we knew he was a step above, there was no doubt about that, but he tried to downplay it in a lot of ways. When he got into high school and college, we saw an extreme caring factor for his peers. He helped many, if not most, of his fellow students with studying. When he passed away, his friends all said ‘He helped us get through school.’ So that’s where the idea for the scholarship came from.”
Several of Braxton’s architecture professors, in fact, labeled him as one of the smartest students they had ever taught.
“Braxton exemplified everything that gives you hope about this generation coming up,” said OU Professor of Architecture Bryan Bloom.
“He understood the joy of hard work. He was a self-starter, a problem solver and a broad thinker. He shared his gifts in order to help people. Just a beautiful soul and a remarkable young man.
“His legacy lives on in the many people he inspired—me being one of them,” Bloom continued. “I’m honored to have been part of his journey, and I hope future recipients of this scholarship feel the love that he shared with us.”
A memorial bench dedicated to Braxton now sits outside the architecture college, where it also overlooks a building built by his father, who was working for Flintco Inc. at the time. It has since turned into a popular gathering place for his friends and family.
“We go there often, and his friends like to come out and sit on the bench as well,” Dava said. “It’s just sweet having it there, because it’s a place we can go to feel close to him that’s not a cemetery, but overlooks over the heart of the campus where our family has such strong ties.”
“Braxton was a very compassionate person..."
“Braxton exemplified everything that gives you hope about this generation coming up."