TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Dr. Ralph J. Bryson 1922-2022 64 th Laurel Wreath Laureate 56 th Elder Watson Diggs Awardee Grand Historian Emeritus
Leaving a Legacy of Altruism, Humility, Mentorship and History
By Kevin Scott, Grand Historian
I t is always difficult to lose our loved ones. When we do, our minds take us to the past. It transports us to the joyful times we have shared with our dearly departed. Those times are not necessarily special because of what they said, but rather because of how they made you feel. Dr. Ralph Joseph Bryson was one of those persons. In his presence, you always felt genuinely welcome, appreciated, and surrounded by an aura of Kappa royalty. The majestic feeling was never pretentious. He was always warm and inviting to all he encountered. His pleasant disposition was matched only with his varied accomplishments and dedication to his vocation. Dr. Bryson dedicated 65 years to the field of education. He graduated in 1947 from the University of Cincin- nati with a bachelor of science degree in English, Spanish and French languages. He began his career in 1947 as a teacher at an African American school in Southern Pines, North Carolina. The following year, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he became an instructor within Southern University’s English Department. Building off this experience, in 1949, Dr. Bryson became an English instructor at Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama. He continued his education, earning his M.Ed. degree in 1950 from the Univer- sity of Cincinnati. Dr. Bryson subsequently obtained his Ph.D. degree from The Ohio State University in 1953. That same year, Dr. Bryson joined Alabama State University’s English Department as an associate professor. In 1962, he was elevated to full professor of English and served as head of the department. Dr. Bryson remained in this position until his retirement in 1992. He also served the institution in other capacities, including but not limited to chairman of the Humani- ties Division, the Faculty Senate, and the Lyceum Committee. Following his temporary retirement, Dr.
Dr. Ralph J. Bryson
Bryson continued to serve the university as professor emeritus. His permanent retirement came in 2012.
While Dr. Bryson was pursuing his undergraduate degree, he sought to become a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. He and his fellow Scroller’s pledge period was interrupted when they were drafted together into the Army during World War II in 1942. Their unit, the Army Specialized Training Program, was designated for college stu- dents or those who had college educations. It consisted of African Americans, of which many of them were members of the Fraternity. He attended basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. From there, his regiment, the 33rd Troop Battalion, was sent to Boston to embark for the European Theater of Operations in England, followed by arrival at Utah Beach in France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia. The delay in completing his education and suspended pledge period was not a deprival. Following discharge, he and his three line brothers returned to school and completed their pledge process with the Beta Eta Chapter in 1946. Although Dr. Bryson has been nonchalant about his Fraternity status and 75 years of membership, he found himself to be over- whelmed when he was seated on the dais with all the seven living Founders and Grand Polemarch J. Ernest Wilkins Sr. during the 1952 Conclave in Cleveland, where Dr. Bryson served as the ban- quet keynote speaker. Dr. Bryson went on to affiliate with the Zeta
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