JOURNAL NOTES
Fraternalism Implicity Requires us to Pay it Forward: Reflecting on the Lessons of Dr. Ralph J. Bryson
Several of the Province Polemarchs of the Southern Province with Grand Polemarch Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq. at the Celebration of Life Services for Dr. Ralph J. Bryson in Montgomery, Alabama.
Cleveland Ferguson III, Esq., Editor O ne of the first lessons a younger person should always take to heart is to take the opportunity to sit at the feet of an elder. Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not de- part from it." This certainly applies to me as it relates to the Polemarchs of the Southern Province that I have received mentor- ship from: the 4 th Southern Province Polemarch and 26 th Grand Polemarch, Dr. Ullysses McBride; the 5 th Southern Province Polemarch Robert T. Hughes, the 6 th Southern Province Polemarch and 33 rd Grand Polemarch Thomas L. Battles, Jr., the 7 th Southern Province Polemarch and 91 st Elder Watson Diggs Awardee Dr. Frank S. Emanuel, the 8 th Southern Province Polemarch and 117 th Elder Watson Diggs Awardee Ronald E. Range, the 9 th Southern Province Polemarch and immediate past Senior Grand Vice Polemarch Linnes Finney, Jr., Esq., the 10 th Southern Province Polemarch Bertram K. Orum and Southern Province Polemarch Chauncy E. Haynes...decades of Kappa wisdom poured into me! During their mentor- ship, I had the great honor to interview multiple times, be counseled by, and
to serve with Dr. Ralph J. Bryson, the 56 th Elder Watson Diggs Awardee, 64 th Laurel Wreath Laureate and Grand Historian Emeritus. I had the op- portunity to succeed him as the 14 th Grand Historian, an honor I shall cherish. His generously shared stories of Founder Guy L. Grant were particu- larly poignant. Founder Grant seemed to always have his eye on Dr. Bryson. I felt privileged as a fellow member of the Southern Province Board of Directors, I knew that Dr. Bryson had his eyes on me. Since this issue has been dedicated to our undergraduate leadership, the best memorial The Journal could provide upon Dr. Bryson's transition to the Chapter Invisible is to share what these seasoned brothers have shared about Dr. Bryson's commitment to the Bond. And so, as the Grand Polemarch is pictured doing here with him, the back half of The Journal provides a collective memorial opportunity to do what he has done, survey the life of a Good Kappa Man, one who exemplifies achievement in the human endeavor of academics, one who tirelessly toiled and strove and one who always had time to share a word of advice. As the 14 th Grand Historian, I ensured
that we would be privileged to have many of Dr. Bryson's thoughts in writing and recorded form in Kappa's archives for generations of Kappas yet unborn to enjoy. As Journal Editor, I am privileged to share this issue with you, that chronicles the thoughts of others on the life of a Kappa well lived: Dr. Ralph J. Bryson.
Yours in the Bond, Cleveland Ferguson III, Esq. Editor
Above: Grand Polemarch Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq., and Dr. Ralph J. Bryson share an experience as old as Kappa Alpha Psi itself. The Grand Polemarch's example of taking time to hear from a more seasoned Brother is something we should all emulate regularly.
6 | FALL 2021 ♦ THE JOURNAL
PUBLISHING ACHIEVEMENT FOR MORE THAN 110 YEARS
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator