Fairbanks Tall Timbers Series: Bev Byington

The Fairbanks Tall Timbers series honors those who have served the Fairbanks community well. Join veteran newsman Robert Hannon as he interviews Bev Byington. Bev Byington was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and graduated from Augustana College. She was a teacher/counselor in Minnesota before coming to Fairbanks in 1970. She met her first Alaskan friends, Liz and Bill Berry, when she volunteered at Techne Art and Craft Coop. She volunteered at Crisis Line and was a school counselor at Lathrop. Bev taught art, psychology, and sociology at West Valley and received a sabbatical to research study skills and motivation. She also worked at Ryan, Tanana, and Howard Luke Academy. She created a school focus program on being a successful student. Bev has volunteered at the Farmer's Market, Georgeson Botanical Garden, and the Fairbanks Drama Association. Over the years, she has shared her artistic skills with the community and, in 2022, helped paint street murals in downtown Fairbanks as part of a grant-funded initiative overseen by the Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation (FAST) Planning.