Dr. Judy Prozillo Byers

A native of Marion County, Dr. Byers is known for her work as a folklorist, workshop director, English education consultant, and storyteller. As the Abelina Suarez Senior Professor in the Department of Language and Literature and Supervisor of English Education at Fairmont State. Dr. Byers incorporates storytelling and creative dramatics in many of her courses including "Folk Literature" and "Language Arts/English Methodology." She is executrix for the folklore estate of the late Dr. Ruth Ann Musick, an eminent collector of Appalachian folklore, and is the archivist for the vast collection which includes the holdings of the West Virginia Folklore Society, housed at FSU. From these endeavors has developed the West Virginia Folklife Center and Folklore Studies Program at FSU, which Dr. Byers directs.

In this Minor Degree program Dr. Byers teaches "Introduction to Folk Studies," "Folk Literature," "Appalachian Literature and Film," and "Folklore Application." She is Co-Editor of Traditions: A Journal of West Virginia Folk Culture and Educational Awareness, Folk News, and Hillchild, publications of the Folklife Center, and has co-directed, along with Noel W. Tenney, four West Virginia Humanities Council Summer Seminars on Folklore for Teachers. They direct cultural study programs abroad entitled "Roads to Appalachia."

Dr. Byers earned her undergraduate degree from FSC and her master and doctorate degrees from West Virginia University. She completed post graduate studies at the International Folklore Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington and observed educational drama throughout the British schools. Her dissertation analyzed the folkloric-creative dramatics based approach to the teaching of language arts.

In 2000, she was named "Fairmont State University's Alumni of Achievement" for her work in developing folklore studies at FSU. In 2006 her folklore achievements were recognized by the College of Human Resources and Education at WVU where she was named to the Hall of Fame and Outstanding Alumni.

Dr. Byers taught in Marion County public schools for thirteen years and was named WV Teacher of the Year in 1977. She has been a guest instructor for various folk cultural courses at Augusta Heritage Workshop, Elkins, WV; Fort New Salem, Salem College, WV; WV Elderhostel; and the WV Public Theatre - C&I Department at WVU. Plus, she was the WV mentor teacher in storytelling for the NEH "Fantasy in Literature," at East Tennessee State University. She was the recipient of the Toastmaster's International Recognition Award in Public Speaking and Storytelling, 1989. In 2002 - 2003, Dr. Byers was named WV Professor of the Year.

Her chief research interest is West Virginia folklore. When she was just a child, Dr. Musick began to collect the folktales of her family. Later, Dr. Byers studied with her at FSC and with Dr. Patrick Gainer at WVU. In 1973, she worked with these folklorists to revive the WV Folklore Society and became its treasurer and Associate Editor of the WV Folklore Journal. Among her publications are "Folklore and Literature" in Mountain Heritage, ed. B.B. Maurer; Greenbrier Ghost, ed. Dennis Deitz, Witches, Ghosts and Signs, ed, Patrick Gainer; and co-produced The High Gate Story: WV Coal Estate, preservation video. She has also contributed biographies about Ruth Ann Musick to the West Virginia Women's Commission's Missing Chapters: Part II, WV Women; Comstock's WV Heritage Encyclopedia; and the new WVHC's WV Encyclopedia; besides "Comparative Study of Missouri Folklore and WV Folklore," for Missouri Folklore.

Judy P. Byers, John H. Randolph, and Noel W. Tenney co-authored In the Mountain State: A West Virginia Folklore and Cultural Studies Curriculum for the West Virginia Humanities Council. This educational tool was distributed statewide to West Virginia Humanities Council. This educational tool was distributed statewide to West Virginia schools and libraries and is in a second printing. This text is used extensively in the Folklore Studies curriculum at FS. This team has also produced seven audio cassette recordings: Lore of the Hills and Selected Stories from the Green Hills of Magic under the name of The Hill Lorists, an educational consulting and storytelling team that they developed in the mid 1980's. For their heritage efforts The Hill Lorists were the recipients of the National Storytelling Association Southeastern Region Educational Award in 1998.

Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center
at Fairmont State University
1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, WV 26554-2470
phone: (304) 367-4403 or 4286
email: wvfolklife@fairmontstate.edu