Introduction to Dr. Bird

In case you haven’t heard, Bird’s the word. By that, I mean Dr. David Bird. If you have yet to meet the legend, I suggest that you go out of your way to do so. I would go so far as to say that it would be beneficial to any person at LBCC to take a class with Dr. Bird. 

This story of Dr. Bird starts back when he was just “Bird” back in high school. Bird is an only child. His father died when he was….His mother played a tremendous role in his life, and supported him every step of the way. It was not easy though.  In addition to being left fatherless, Bird also suffered from dyslexia and struggled in school. His identity was found mostly in sports. He excelled at wrestling, serving as a co-captain in high school. He also played for a losing football team, that was setting records for losing streaks. This life of athletics taught him about working hard, and in the case of the football team, never giving up….no matter how much you keep losing. On the other side, Birds academics suffered. He graduated high school with a 1.22 GPA. Before that happened though, Bird had a “King Arthur” moment. It happened when his high school had try outs for “Camelot”. For …..reason, Bird decided to try out. I wonder how many were surprised that the dyslexic jock won the role of king Arthur. He did though. That experience gave him confidence. It gave him confidence because even with his disability, he was still able to memorize lines…and then recite them in front of crowds. That experience for him was life changing. It convinced him that he had a brain and that he could use it. 

 I won’t go into the long version of how 1.22 GPA version Bird became Dr. Bird version, but it started with a community college in Idaho, and turned into BYU, a couple years in Australia, and finally a doctorates from Oregon State. Along the way, Bird found his calling in life. That calling is helping others. Dr. Bird has done that in plenty of ways. He is a master in teaching family studies. He worked for over 20 years as a therapist. To sum it up, he is a renowned man in this community. Hence the title, legend. 

So how does Dr. Bird make a difference here at LBCC? The short answer is that he cares. His motto in life is to positively influence the people he meets in daily life. He does just that. I.....(To be continued)