“Sure, I’ll try that,” is Chris Byrne’s life motto, which has served him well from theater to toys to TV.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
As a faculty kid, Chris Byrne ’74 and his three brothers Richard ’72, Robert ’79 and Laurence ’81, lived in the Tower Hill Alumni House, which means he grew up at Tower Hill both during and after school hours. From early morning to late at night, Byrne and his siblings were immersed in Tower Hill, surrounded by faculty and supported by the community.
Byrne is fortunate to remain in close contact with many of his classmates (notably, Ellen Cannon ’72, who is also featured in this issue of the Bulletin!) who enjoy reflecting on what an advantage attending Tower Hill has given them in life. For these alums, the sense of community is what really stands out.
“I saw Tower Hill community support play out first-hand in my living room,” recalls Byrne. “Whenever there was a child who needed help, the faculty swooped in. That level of support, caring and attention was the most valuable benefit. Beyond the academics was this empowering community that supported us and wanted us to succeed.”
Byrne credits Tower Hill with launching him as a person, doing more than just preparing him for college and a prolific career, but preparing him for a life of critical thinking and analysis.
The school taught him how to learn for which he named his English teacher Mr. Wood and his geometry teacher Mrs. Kelly, who would say, “Let’s close our books and reason together.”
Knowing when to take a moment for reflection is part of what gave Byrne the skills and discipline to be a good student as he made his way on to college at Boston University (BU). At BU he studied fine arts and theater, which was one of their most competitive programs, with only 60 out of 500 applicants accepted.
FROM TOWER HILL TO TOYS
When he finished college, Byrne saved up $800 to move to New York and make it big on Broadway.
“I had one skill,” he recalls. “I was a great typist.”
While he waited to get his big break, he supported himself 9-to-5 as a secretary at a publishing house. Eventually, he worked his way into marketing and, then, as a junior copywriter.
Somehow, all at once came a pivotal point in his career: he was offered two different opportunities at the same time.
One was a likely role in a Broadway show and the other was as a job in public relations for the toy industry.
One of his theater mentors had once told him, “The day you find something you love as much as theater, go and do that.”
With this advice in mind, he took the public relations job and never looked back.
His vast career in public relations has seen him through the launch of Pictionary, writing seven books, editing magazines, forming his own firm, consulting with Fortune 100 companies, getting slimed on Nickelodeon and appearing on numerous TV shows.
He used to often appear on Home & Family on the Hallmark Channel, where the host never remembered his name and, instead, would simply refer to him as “the toy guy,” which Byrne then trademarked. For the last 27 years, he also appeared on what is now Live! With Kelly and Mark, as well as appearances on Oprah, Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and countless other international, national and local business and consumer programs.
Because of his success, Byrne often speaks to young people about his experiences, which is when he reflects on his motto: “sure, I’ll try it.”
“Sure, I’ll try it,” speaks to Byrne’s life experience as he has always gone out of his way to seek opportunities while continuing to pursue what he loves.
“I’m so fortunate that I’ve had these opportunities,” says Byrne. “It’s because I’m determined to say yes to things. And what’s the worst that could happen? You don’t know where it will take you, but do it anyway. Follow your interests. If something calls to you, see where it takes you.”
In fact, Byrne’s career has taken him all over the world. He remembers being in third grade and studying his social studies book, Exploring the Old World, and wondering about all the places pictured. Now, reflecting back, he realizes he has visited so many of those places. He attributes learning about and appreciating history at Tower Hill with helping him in the toy industry.
Since toys are a reflection of culture, being able to “understand what has gone before then lends to understanding what is, and allows one to see what is to come,” he said. Being cognizant of history has kept him on top of cultural changes.
FOUNDATION OF THEATER
From a young age, Byrne was very active in theater. He was involved at Tower Hill and in Wilmington and Philadelphia. He reflected fondly on his relationships with Cal Bourgeault and Bill Carveth in the Music Department and Dave Shearer in Dramatics. He attributed English teacher Jon Lovell with fostering his lifelong love of Shakespeare. At the Centennial
celebration in 2019, Byrne was grateful to have the opportunity to tell Lovell how much he meant to him.
Although he now finds himself on a more corporate path, Byrne has stayed active in the theater community and began writing reviews back in 1998. Today he sees more than 200 shows a year and is a member of the Outer Critics Circle, on the executive committee of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association and, last year, he published the first authorized biography of the playwright Terrence McNally. He is working on writing additional theater books.
IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE
Another life lesson Byrne learned at Tower Hill was to be of service.
“Whether it was lifting Lower Schoolers up to trim the tree, tutoring students in the Wilmington community or showing up and doing your part in chorus or theater, we learned to be participants in our communities,” says Byrne.
He continues his service today and is involved in several non-profit organizations benefiting children and literacy and previously sat on the board of America Scores: New York, the nation’s largest after school program that combines soccer and poetry in a unique mix to foster literacy, fitness, teamwork and personal growth.
“That’s where you find joy, connection and self respect,” insists Byrne. “Even with a work project, I always ask, Who are we serving? Who benefits from this?”
50TH REUNION
This year, Byrne will celebrate his 50th reunion. He has had the privilege to see how Tower Hill has evolved since he first came to live on campus, and he is excited for his classmates to witness this positive evolution as well.
For the past 50 years, the strength of his connections with Tower Hill friends has been remarkably significant.
“It is really important that people knew me when I was a kid and I knew them,” explains Byrne. “Having someone who knows you throughout your whole life is a real gift. At Tower Hill, that’s your reality. You may take it for granted while you’re there but, once you go out into the world, you come to understand how rare that is and how it amplifies so many facets of your life.”
