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The Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Wanda and Darrell Halstead
Volume XLV- Number 47
Leesburg, Georgia - - July 26, 2023
Fifty Cents
Getting to Know Our 2023 LCHS Distinguished Alumna
Ms. Ruby Dean Byrd, Class of 1983
Special to the Ledger
by LCHS Senior
Annemarie Harlow
The LCHS Dis
tinguished Alumni
Committee is proud to
recognize Ms. Ruby
Byrd, Class of 1983, as
a member of the 2023
Class of Distinguished
Alumni. The purpose of
this program is to recog
nize outstanding alumni
who have maintained a
high standard of excel
lence and distinguished
themselves through their
work, personal accom
plishments, or in the
lives of others. These in
dividuals exemplify the
ideals of the Lee County
School System and the
community it serves,
and thus serve as role
models for current and
future Lee County High
School Students.
Ms. Byrd has been in
volved in the Lee Coun
ty community since
her family moved here
from Randolph County
in 1973. Throughout her
youth she was recog
nized for her tremen
dous athletic achieve
ments which continued
through her extensive
and impressive career
in collegiate sports. Ms.
Byrd returned to the Lee
County area in 1993,
where she took on the
role of Recreation As
sistant at the Henderson
Center in Albany. From
there, her commitment
to the Lee County area
and its residents contin
ued to grow as she took
on various positions and
touched more lives.
As a child Ms. Byrd
loved to play sports and
challenge herself. She
was the only girl play
ing among boys, which
is where she credits
the origin of her com
petitiveness. From the
beginning she worked
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on her fundamentals,
sharpening her skills,
and exploring other
sports. She often earned
the spot of captain or
co-captain, roles that
helped teach her how
to be a successful and
motivating leader.
During her four
years at Lee County
High School, Ms. Byrd
achieved numerous
athletic feats in a variety
of sports. In basketball
she earned the title of
Best Rebounder, and
she scored 24 points
in a single game. She
became a member of
the Wade Trophy Medal
Club, surpassing 1,500
points, and ended her
high school basketball
career with a remarkable
1,959 points. Ms. Byrd
also excelled in track
and field, placing at the
state meet multiple times
across her high school
career. Her hard work
and commitment in the
sport led her to be the
1980 State Runner-up
in High Jump, 1982
State Runner-up in the
100 yd dash & 200 yd
dash, as well as the
1982 State Champion
in High Jump and 1983
State Runner-up in High
Jump. Additionally, she
achieved Best Offense in
Softball (1981-83). Ms.
Byrd succeeded in and
out of the classroom, as
she was a “good stu
dent and well liked,”
recalls a former teacher.
Throughout her life she
has displayed an in
credible work ethic and
positive attitude, both of
which have helped her
succeed.
Upon graduation from
Lee County High School
in 1983, Ms. Byrd
continued her athletic
and academic career at
Claflin University where
she made history. She
earned numerous titles
and awards as she partic
ipated in both basketball
and track & field, while
pursuing a degree in
Physical Education with
a minor in Recreation.
Being a two-sport athlete
while earning a degree
is a challenging task,
but Ms. Byrd was able
to excel in both areas
due to her commitment
to success. Throughout
her basketball career at
Claflin she earned four
NAIA All-American
Honors, as well as two
NAIA All-American
Honors in track and field.
During her time at Claf
lin Ms. Byrd earned sev
eral other honors as well.
She has been inducted
into three Hall of Fames:
EIAC Hall of Fame (May
18, 1995), Claflin Uni
versity Athletics Hall of
Fame - Women’s Basket
ball (February 20, 2009),
and the Claflin Universi
ty Athletics Hall of Fame
- Women’s Basketball
Team (February 7, 2014).
Ms. Byrd left a mark on
Claflin University, being
the only player, male
or female, to become a
four-time All-American.
Following her college
The Lee County Board
of Education held a
called meeting Monday,
July 24th to name Kath
leen E.K. Truitt as the
finalist for the position
of superintendent of the
Lee County School Sys
tem. At least fourteen
calendar days prior to
taking final action on the
position, the Board is re
quired to make available
to the public documents
concerning as many
as three persons under
consideration, whom
the Board determines to
be best qualified for the
position.
Kathleen Truitt said,
“It is a great honor to
be considered for the
Superintendent of the
Lee County School
System. The Lee County
School Board of Educa
tion has set the mission
of ‘fosters relationships
through diverse, chal
lenging, and quality edu
cational experiences that
cultivate successful citi
zens’. I, too, believe that
the key to that success is
found through a part
nership between ‘home,
school, and community’
and believe that this goal
can be realized through
learning environments
and experiences that
support the unique and
individual needs of all
students.”
Truitt has been a
teacher, assistant prin
cipal, principal, and
assistant superintendent.
She believes each child
deserves a learning
experience that not only
meets their needs, but
values their interests and
Kathleen Truitt
desires. She believes
that educators should
be deeply engaged in
a community, building
relationships and remov
ing barriers that impact
a child’s ability to learn
and enable all children
to thrive in their school.
Kathleen Truitt has a
Doctor of Education in
Educational Leadership
from Columbus State
University in Columbus,
Georgia. She holds a
Specialist in Education
al Leadership, Geor
gia College and State
University in Milled-
geville, Georgia, and a
Leadership Certificate
from University of West
Georgia in Carrolton,
Georgia. Shes has a
Master of Teaching,
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graduation, Ms. Byrd
took a position as Field
Supervisor of Children
and Adult Programs in
Orangeburg, SC, before
returning to Albany,
Georgia in 1993. Upon
her return she began
working at the Hen
derson Center and has
served in numerous
roles within Albany
Recreation & Parks, the
organization from which
she has recently retired.
She has earned several
departmental awards and
recognitions for her out
standing work, among
these being the 2005
William “Cut” Edwards
Distinguished Athletic
Programming Award.
Every day she is motivat
ed by the maxim, “Treat
others as you would want
to be treated,” as she
works to find new ways
to better the lives of
those around her. A fel
low coach who worked
with Ms. Byrd regarded
her as “an excellent role
See Bryd,
Page 6A
Truitt Named Finalist For
Lee County Superintendent
Middle Grades Math/
ELA from Spalding
University in Louisville,
Kentucky, and a Bach
elor of Arts in Commu
nication, University of
Louisville in Louisville,
Kentucky.
Dr. Truitt has been
an Assistant Superin
tendent of Instruction
and Learning for Henry
County Schools in Mc
Donough, Georgia, since
June 2018.
She was the principal
of Ola Middle School in
McDonough, Georgia,
from September 2012 to
June 2018. She was an
elementary school prin
cipal in Clayton County
Schools for two years,
She was an assistant
principal at Woodland
Elementary School in
Henry County from
2007 to June 2010.
In addition to teaching
in elementary and mid
dle schools in Georgia,
Truitt has taught in Al
abama, Tennessee, and
Kentucky.
Plans are for the new
superintendent to take
office by September 1.
Submitted Photo
Mrs. Hailey Kilcrease (R) is pictured with
Mrs. Candice Smith, Lee County Elementary
School principal.
Hailey Kilcrease
Named LCES
Assistant Principal
Hailey Kilcrease has
been named as the
assistant principal for
Lee County Elementary
School. She was a first
grade teacher at Lee
County Primary School
from 2010 through the
2023 school term.
Mrs. Kilcrease earned
a Specialist Degree in
Early Childhood Ed
ucation from Georgia
Southwestern State
University in 2016. She
received a Masters in
Curriculum and In
struction in 2013 and
a Bachelor of Science
Early Childhood Ed
ucation in 2010 from
Georgia Southwestern
State University.
Hailey Kilcrease was a
nominee for Lee Coun
ty Teacher of the Year
Nominee three years in
a row. As a first grade
teacher, she implemented
instructional strategies
that actively engaged her
students in meaningful
learning experiences in
order to maximize their
potential.
Hailey Kilcrease and
her husband Steven are
the parents of two chil
dren, Brooklyn, 10 and
Ryker, five.
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