Judith Prozzillo Byers

Judith “Judy” Prozzillo Byers was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously recognized as a Distinguished Alumna by the College of Human Resources and Education in 2006.

Byers earned her master’s degree in English and education from West Virginia University in 1972 and her doctorate in English education in 1982. She completed post-graduate work at the International Folklore Institute at Indiana University and conducted educational fieldwork in British schools. A 1969 graduate of Fairmont State with a bachelor’s degree in English and social studies education, she spent much of her career elevating West Virginia’s cultural heritage through education, scholarship, and storytelling.

An educator, folklorist, and scholar, Byers taught in Marion County Schools and at Fairmont State University, WVU, Salem College, and Davis & Elkins College. She was a longtime faculty member at Fairmont State, where she directed the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center and held the Abelina Suarez Professorship in the Department of Language and Literature. She was the official biographer and estate executrix of Ruth Ann Musick and co-developed the West Virginia Folklore and Cultural Studies Curriculum used across the state. Her publications include edited and co-edited works such as Traditions: A Journal of West Virginia Folk Culture and Educational Awareness and Hillchild: A Chapbook for and by West Virginia Children.

Byers received multiple statewide and national honors for her teaching and scholarship, including West Virginia State Teacher of the Year, West Virginia Professor of the Year, WV Italian Woman of the Year, and Toastmasters International recognition for storytelling and public speaking.