Byron A. Stover participant of World War I
Businessman
Stover moved to Bend, Oregon in 1914.  In Bend, Stover found a job with the Bend Company, which operated a sawmill on the west bank of the Deschutes River.  However, he soon secured a position as a bank teller with the First National Bank. He stayed with the bank until the United States entered World War I.When America entered World War I, Stover volunteered for military service. He was accepted into the United States Army officer training program and received his training at the Presidio in San Francisco, California. When he finished his training, Stover was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served in France with the 17th Field Artillery Regiment. While in Europe, he participated in the Battle of Chateau Thierry, spending six weeks on the front lines. After his combat tour, he was sent to train troops in South Carolina for three months before being sent back to France.After the war, Stover spent several years in Seattle, Washington. While living there, he began his career in marketing and exhibited motion pictures.  In 1923, he moved back to Bend and purchased the Capitol Theatre there.  A year later, he married Ruth Cushing and she joined him in Bend.Over the years, Stover became one of Bend's most prominent businessmen. After purchasing the Capitol Theatre, he went on to buy the adjacent Liberty Theatre and several other movie theatres in and around Bend.  He was well known in the Bend community for treating local children to a free movie every year on his birthday and on Christmas Day as well.  He also gave free tickets to local high school athletes. He remained in the theatre business until 1946. After retiring from the theatre business, Stover became a partner in a men’s clothing store in downtown Bend. However, he continued to own and operate a theatre in Gilchrist (a small community south of Bend) until 1964.In addition to his business interests, Stover was always active in civic affairs.  In 1931, he was elected president of Bend’s Kiwanis club. Over the years, Stover served as president of the Bend Golf Club, the Bend Stampede, and the Bend Water Pageant.  He was also chairman of two Red Cross fund raising campaigns. He was president of Bend Chamber of Commerce for two years and then became president of the Central Oregon Chamber of Commerce.  He was a member of the city’s parks advisory board for many years. In addition, he was a member of American Legion and local Elks Lodge.  Stover was also a devoted fan and volunteer coach of local sports teams.  In 1944, he headed a community war bond drive.  To encourage people to buy bonds, he gave free movie tickets to everyone who bought a bond. When the Bend Industrial Fund was created in 1945 to promote economic growth in the Bend area, Stover was elected to the Fund’s board of directors. In recognition of his extensive and significant contributions to the Bend community, Stover was selected as Bend’s Senior Citizen of the Year in 1951.