Meet the Byrne-O’Brien Family
By Corrina O’Brien Kelsey (third from left in the photo above)
My family has been a part of Gonzaga’s history for 57 of Gonzaga’s 125 years. It begins with my grandfather, Robert Byrne, who attended Gonzaga University and graduated in 1956. While I never met my grandfather (he passed away in 1984), I heard countless stories about him from my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandmother. From these stories, I have learned my grandfather was compassionate, hard-working, served his community, valued education, and was a great friend. The following is my best attempt to share not only the history of my family, but also how Gonzaga has impacted my family.
My grandfather grew up in a small town in Montana and did not come from much wealth. He was always envious of a family down the road that seemed to be successful and ‘have it all’. After getting to know this family, he found out the father attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. In my grandfather’s eyes, attending Gonzaga would provide him a foundation to support a family: financially, spiritually and socially. Little did he know the decision to attend Gonzaga would impact not only his children, but his brother, nephews, nieces, cousins and grandchildren as well.
After finishing up his first year in college, Robert Byrne married his high school sweetheart, Charleen Brown. He brought my grandmother to Spokane to start a family, and convinced his brother, Mick Byrne, to attend Gonzaga University. Throughout my grandfather’s life, he held numerous jobs to provide for his family. One of his first jobs was driving a school bus. However, there were many times during his college years that he needed to be at both work and at school, so he taught my grandmother to drive the bus for him. My 5’1”, determined, fearless grandmother got behind the wheel and drove the school bus so her husband could attend class. Moments like this show the sacrifices my family has made to attend Gonzaga.
My grandfather supported six children through Catholic, Jesuit schools, five of whom attended Gonzaga Preparatory School and Gonzaga University. Each family member has their own unique story and love for the school, but as a biased daughter, I will share my mother’s story. My mother attended in the late ‘70s. She played basketball on the first women’s basketball team, attended all the social events and even worked on campus in the food service. She met my father while working in the food service, as well as many of her lifelong friends. She has stories of how the women’s basketball team could never seem to get the main court for practice, washing numerous dirty dishes while working meals at Cataldo, going to the Bulldog after work and class, and hanging out with my father. My mother graduated in 1979 and married my father soon after.
While in high school at Gonzaga Prep, I never realized the community my parents and grandparents had created through the university. When it was time for me to start looking at colleges, and I figured Gonzaga University was too close to home. I decided to attend Seattle University and by the end of my freshman year, I began to realize the network and friendships my family had through Gonzaga. I wanted that from my college experience. I transferred for my sophomore year—and as the say, the rest is history.
This past summer I married my best friend. The best friend I met at Gonzaga. Mike and I come from very different backgrounds, but we have the same values and beliefs. While I was the third generation to attend Gonzaga, my husband was the first in his family to attend a four-year university. I grew up in Spokane and knew quite a bit about the university; Mike was from a small town in southern Idaho where people had a hard time pronouncing “Gonzaga.” Our different paths intersected during our junior year through University Ministry. Through our time at school, we have established a community that expands beyond Spokane and Gonzaga’s campus. It stretches from New York and Boston, to Phoenix, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and everywhere in-between. When I look at my parents’ and grandparents’ community and network, I know the relationships Mike and I made at Gonzaga will be much like that in the years to come.
The words I used to describe my grandfather are words that describe the impact Gonzaga has had on our entire family. Gonzaga taught us to be compassionate leaders, to work hard, nourish our friendships and relationships, and challenged us to serve our community. My family continues to celebrate the values we learned at school, along with the many memories made with friends and the community.
I look forward to continuing the legacy the Byrne family has made at Gonzaga, and with Mike, starting a legacy that is our own. Thank you, Gonzaga, for all you have provided for us. We could not have asked for a better 57 years!
The Byrne Legacy:
Robert Byrne (grandfather): 1956
Michael Byrne (great uncle): 1957
Daniel Byrne (uncle): 1977
Roland Byrne (uncle): 1983
Colleen Byrne O’Brien (mother): 1979
Joe Byrne (cousin): 1982
Robert Byrne (uncle): 1992
Christine Byrne (cousin): 1999
Jim O’Brien (father): MA 1991
Sarah Everitt (sister): MA 2009
Corrina O’Brien Kelsey: 2010
Mike Kelsey (husband): 2010 and MA 2012