[2] He was author of the book Athabasca University: The Evolution of Distance Education and was a former Deputy Minister of Education for Alberta from 1966 to 1971.
[3] As Deputy Minister of Education, he helped to prepare the Order in Council to create the university.
[4] Byrne started his career as a teacher of junior high school in 1937, and in 1942 joined the Alberta Department of Education as an Inspector of Schools.
[4] In 1972, Byrne was appointed by the Minister James Foster to conduct an inquiry into Red Deer College, over a dispute between the staff and the college's Board of Governors.
This helped him to establish a closer working relationship with the Minister.