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David J. Byrnes, BJ '49

Tell us about your career.
My career has blended journalism, agriculture, heavy construction, inventions and published commentaries on politics, economics, Americana and religion. My clients over 50 years have been Caterpillar dealerships. I produced up to seven colorful Cat house magazines simultaneously. For 30 consecutive years I contributed all the interviewing, photography, writing, layout and typesetting. The articles featured engineering contractors who built the infrastructure, housing and commercial buildings of our fast-growing state using Cat equipment. According to Cat surveys, my largest magazine, Earth, was twice voted the best-read construction magazine in its circulation territory, surpassing by 2:1 even the proprietary publications covering the same market.

What brought you to Southern California?
I originally located in Southern California to obtain a doctorate in economics from the University of California-Riverside. This dream was eventually abandoned because I stubbornly refused to embrace the theories of economist John Maynard Keynes, prevailing guru of that era. Keynes has since been dethroned, replaced by monetarist Milton Friedman, with whom I enjoyed a long, supportive professional relationship. My economics contribution has been to urge distributing the benefits of rising industrial productivity to consumers, rather than to labor, through reduced prices rather than higher wages.

What is a little-known fact about you?
I was awarded a U.S. patent for an inexpensive all-mechanical IBM punch card voting machine. The small, rectangular cards provide a permanent, verifiable record of each voter's decisions, including take-home copies, for recounts and audits. The ballot-counting equipment can be rented or borrowed from other government and business offices. This patent has expired, but increased risks from hackers and persistent electronic malfunctions should attract new interest.

On a personal note:
My wife and I have been married 60 years. We have six daughters, all married and successful, with eleven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. "Our cups runneth over."