Thomas H. Byas was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended LeMoyne-Owens College in Memphis, TN. He graduated from Howard University’s Dental School, Washington, D.C. in 1950. He served twice in the US Army; first at the end of WWII and secondly for two years as a dentist during the Korean War. He was a Free and Accepted Mason, and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He was the first African American to serve as the president of the Monroe County Dental Society and a Fellow in the American College of Dentists. He was a highly skilled and respected Dentist in the Greater Rochester Area. Archon Byas was a charter member of Gamma Iota Boule in 1985. He was a very devoted member and was well known for his devotion and belief in the rituals of the fraternity and expectations of Archons. He did not hesitate to inform Archons (new and old) about how they should dress and conduct business. He married Archousa Ermine Byas in 1950 and was a devoted spouse until his death in 2004.
