ITS application manager trains dogs, encountered wolves

In June 1995, Mary Maguire Byrkit came face-to-face with a wolf pack in the Indiana countryside.

“There was definitely electricity in the air, and you could feel the pack dynamics crackling at work all around you. It was one of those rare life experiences when all your senses are acutely tuned, experiencing something both frightening and exhilarating at the same time,” she says.

Byrkit, who had this extraordinary experience during a five-day “Wolf Park” seminar, is the resident dog expert in her Information and Technology Services office.

Byrkit was one of the only non-scientists present at the Wolf Park seminar, and she encountered the wolves after thorough safety training. “I was interested to learn more about wolves based on watching my own dogs’ behavior as they would playfully stalk each other in our backyard.”

Mary Byrkit, Information and Technology Services applications manager, is pictured with her dog, Wylie. (Photo by Cynthia Royal)

“People around here know me as the dog lady,” she says, smiling. “If they have any dog problems, they’ll come to me.”

Her unofficial title is well-deserved. Byrkit and her husband currently own  three Belgian Tervuren shepherds.

“When I was growing up, my father didn’t like animals, but he said I could have as many as I wanted when I grew up,” Byrkit laughs. “We do the beauty pageant part of it with dog shows, but we also do tracking, sheep herding, and agility activities with our dogs,” she says.

In 1996, Byrkit bought a home with a large fenced backyard, perfect for her dogs. Over the years, she has been the owner of eight Tervurens altogether. “They’re very smart, loving, devoted dogs. They’re our kids!”

As former rescue coordinator for the state of Michigan chapter of the American Belgian Tervuren Club, Byrkit has  helped rescue and place many Tervuren in new homes.

Byrkit has also explored her love for Tervurens in a creative way. She drafted a children’s book, “Griffey in the Garden,” starring a Tervuren named Griffey. Byrkit has hopes to pursue publication after retirement.

In fall 2014, Byrkit will have been employed at U-M, her alma mater, for 40 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts in history in 1974, and began work that fall in the LSA Academic Advising Office (now LSA Student Academic Affairs).  

Byrkit served as the school registrar for LSA, which included aiding students with understanding LSA policies, resolving graduation problems, and using U-M’s Computer Registration Involving Student Participation system, or CRISP.

“In a very real way, I knew I was making a difference in students’ lives,” Byrkit says about her time at LSA Academic Advising.

After 8 years, Byrkit moved to the Data Systems Center  department. She started out as a programmer, and moved up the ranks gradually to her current position, application manager in Information and Technology Services.

Byrkit has been amazed by the huge changes in the university’s technological services since the 1980’s.

“I really had the opportunity of seeing an evolution in IT, going from punch cards and coding sheets to M-Pathways and M-Reports. I remember when they first put personal computers on our desks we didn’t know what to do with them!”

In her 32 years in information technology at the university, Mary has learned the importance of what she calls “the 4 Cs” — “Being insatiably curious, being careful, communicating in campus’ language, and most importantly, caring deeply. These ‘C’s have guided my university career.”

Byrkit says she also finds inspiration from an unlikely source: her 1995 encounter with wolves.

“As I jokingly told my co-workers when I returned from Wolf Park, I felt I could handle any difficult meeting at work after being surrounded by wolves.”

Comments

  1. Tish Lehman
    on July 28, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    Mary has handled every stage of her career with grace and style.

  2. Amy Brooks
    on July 29, 2014 at 11:40 pm

    When my dog went missing during Thanksgiving weekend, I called Mary. She immediately went into action and helped me recover him. When I needed mentoring at UM she shepherded me. I have no doubt that her next venture will be spectacular.

Leave a comment

Commenting is closed for this article. Please read our comment guidelines for more information.