Byron Embry: Profile

The Man with the Closing Remarks
Like any kid born with a handicap, Byron T. Embry wanted to be considered normal by his friends at school and in his neighborhood. However, anytime he uttered a word, his horrendous speech impediment made him stick out of the crowd. After one of the most humiliating moments in his life he knew he needed help. “I wanted to be a TV weatherman more than anything on earth. My high school science teacher brought in my favorite TV weatherman to speak. It was about to be the most exciting day of my life. After telling him I wanted to be a meteorologist the unthinkable happened. A kid stood up and said, “You will never be a weatherman. By the time you spit the words out that a tornado is coming, it would have already hit and killed 50 people! ” The class burst into laughter and I almost broke into tears” says Byron. Some people would have taken the humiliation to heart and let it break them, but not Byron. It brought out his drive to be well spoken and conquer his limitations.

Finding His Voice
Working diligently with a speech pathologist paid off one night when a miracle occurred. Byron found his voice when asked to give the closing remarks (hence the name) to a church youth group. The audience of 50 were stunned at what they heard, “His voice shook the ground” says Pastor B.J. Parks. Byron began speaking to groups from his life as a professional pitcher in the major leagues, and kept students and professors of Indian Hills Community College on the edge of their seats when he gave his presentations. Now Byron T. Embry is shaking the ground once again with his powerful words of encouragement. “

A Way Out
Growing up as a young man in Richmond Kentucky did not come easy for Byron Embry. The product of a single parent home, his mother Judy did her very best to provide for her two young children. However, her best proved not to be enough as finances proved to be a thorn in side of the Embry family. After being evicted from every apartment they ever lived in, the family was forced to live with Byron’s grandmother in a tiny one bedroom apartment where he slept on the floor next to the bathroom. With no male role model, as was common in his community, Byron struggled with his identity as he grew into manhood. At risk of being caught in the vicious cycle of drugs, gang violence Embry knew he had to work his way out of the system somehow. As it turned out his high power 96 mph fastball did the trick.

Professional Career
Byron was drafted and signed by the Atlanta Braves at age 19, in 1997 and his career took off like a rocket in his first season with the Braves Rookie League affiliate Danville Braves. Byron kept his eye on the ball and has been signed with the Kansas City Royals, and Seattle Mariners, where he spent 2 seasons. He has spent 12 years playing Baseball professionally. Byron makes his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his wife Kelly and their two daughters; Jordyn age 5 and Alexis 3.

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