Paul Byrne’s Biography
Paul Byrne grew up on the south side of Chicago. His interest in geography began on family road trips when he was seven years old. He read highway atlases the way most people read story books, sometimes for hours, learning where places were. Eventually, he created his own maps.
During college, he moved to experience other areas around Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Western Illinois University in 1991, with a major in geography and a minor in geology.
He first applied his geography skills in Chicago as a transportation planner from 1991 to 1994 where he created maps, charts, and reports about highway improvement recommendations. Most of the work involved gathering traffic volume data, developing public transit options, and tracking environmentally-sensitive sites. Since then, he decided to become a teacher. He taught all age groups in many schools.
He moved to Carbondale to attend graduate school at Southern Illinois University where he received his Master of Science degree in 2004. His major again was geography. He was so impressed by the people, environment, and beauty of the southern Illinois landscape; he decided to stay in the area. He married a Kentucky native and the two currently live just across the Ohio River near Paducah, Kentucky, and travels across scenic southern Illinois daily. He became a father for the first time with the birth of his son on February 9, 2010.
At John A. Logan College, he teaches both geography and earth science. He is also the geography faculty liaison for the social science department. His other interests include hiking, geocaching, and studying the weather and climate.
