REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE OF DR. RALPH J. BRYSON
phus Thomas stated, “Dr. Ralph Bryson contributed to every major administra- tive advance made by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in modern times. Taking a random volume from my shelf, I opened the Manual for the Active Chapter Advisor, approved by the Grand Board of Directors, October 8, 1977. Dr. Bryson is listed as one of the authors. Others listed: Atty. Hiliary H. Holloway, Henry W. Flowers, Dr. Edward L. Ellois, Dr. James B. Abram, Jr., Carlyle H. Chap- man, Sr., Robert L. Gordon, Dr. Timo- thy L. Langston, Dr. Ullysses McBride, Melvin Evans. Such was the company he kept. His services to the Fraternity were truly great. As he rises to glory may we rise to the occasion and fill the im- mense void he has left.” Brother Bryson shared reflections of his life’s journey, his impact upon others including milestones in academia and within fraternity life in an earlier interview (2020), “Kappa instilled the aspiration of achievement in whatever I elected to do in life whether academic, philosophy, law, politic, religion, art or entertainment, for me, it was the acad- emy, collegiate life, specifically English literature…a shared belief of mine is that ‘the function of education is to push the mind to the flaming frontiers of knowledge’, therefore this was done with my students during every opportu- nity granted at each institution where one served…my two years in the US Army were memorable ones in the Eu- ropean Theater, of course, unlike now, Army life was extremely different for the Negro Soldier then, conditions were segregated, racism was the order of the day, my hope was to become the man that slaves dreamed about, that is to say, freely think and imagine, give back, each one, teach one, carry traditions forward, make a lasting difference in the lives of others…I could not afford to squander the opportunity to do very well while making a difference by generating great investment in the future of humanity, namely young people . My responsibility was to the future of education to ensure the experiences and opportunities for
my students and fraternity brothers were duplicated.”
close friend. I will truly miss Dr. Ralph J. Bryson.”
“There are countless moments that I am profoundly appreciative of and if I had to identify three as requested, of course this is not easy…therefore, three of the proudest moments in Kappa Al- pha Psi for me are my initiation into the University of Cincinnati Chapter, the Beta Eta of Kappa Alpha Psi in 1946, secondly meeting several of our Found- ers which included Dr. Byron K. Arm- strong, Dr. Guy Levis Grant, Dr. Marcus Peter Blakemore and Edward Giles Irvin and lastly when I was honored as a member of the Elder Watson Diggs Class of 1995 at the 72 nd Grand Chapter Meeting in Philadelphia, PA and ulti- mately becoming the 64 th Laurel Wreath Recipient at the 79 th Grand Chapter Meeting in Washington, DC. Yes, you requested three profound moments in Kappa, but I am compelled to also declare and disclose my 1952 address as the Closed Banquet keynote titled ‘Mo- bilization for Human Rights’ at the 42 nd Grand Chapter Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio was undoubtedly one of my more memorable occasions reflected in both the history and tradition of Kappa Alpha Psi…My belief is that Kappa Alpha Psi will undoubtedly exist in the year 2045 and yet it will look quite different from the year 1911, 2011 and 2061 which is 150 years since its birth…envisioning our fraternity requires imagination and forward thinking and in 2045, we can absolutely say automation and technol- ogy will impact & reduce what we do, how we do it, when and where we do it beginning with initiation, local chapter meeting, C. Rodger Wilson Leadership Conference, Province Council and our Grand Chapter Meeting.”
Dr. Bryson shared a few of what he considered his greatest memories as a Kappa from an earlier interview which genuinely served as an experiential glimpse into a wonderful journey that make up both the artistry and tapestry of a well-meaning and purposeful life. “I treasured the opportunity when I met Founders Dr. Byron K. Armstrong, Dr. Guy Levis Grant, Dr. Marcus Peter Blakemore, and Edward Giles Irvin and meeting these Founders was one of my most wonderfully enduring experi- ences and II) I also fostered very special relationships with several Province and Grand Polemarchs, among them Ber- tram K. Orum and Thomas L. Battles, Jr…and III) and joining my peers in the Elder Watson Diggs Class of 1995 at the 72 nd Grand Chapter Meeting in Phila- delphia, PA, and IV) to be thought of in such a manner, ultimately becoming the 64 th Laurel Wreath Recipient during the 79 th Grand Chapter Meeting in our nation’s capitol was a turning point and in many ways, breathtaking.” “Brothers of the University of South Alabama Chapter, the Eta Nu of Kappa Alpha Psi, the Mobile (AL) Alumni Chapter, the Southern Province, and the entire Kappa Nation owe a huge debt of gratitude to Brother Bryson for living his life as a shining example of how men of Kappa should carry themselves in our pursuit of Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor. Kappa Alpha Psi’s history is rich with men of great character, intellect, and perseverance and Dr. Ralph J. Bryson will always rank in the upper echelon of all those great men of Phi Nu Pi. My life has been tremendously blessed because of my relationship with Brother Bryson and I will always cher- ish and model the life he lived,” stated Maynard V. Odom, (Eta Nu 1977) 77 th Laurel Wreath Laureate, 77 th Elder Watson Diggs Awardee, 3 rd Guy L. Grant Awardee General Counsel Cleo-
Remembrance of Dr. Ralph J. Bryson
Dr. Bryson understood the superflui- ties of life as evidenced by his capacity to engage, listen and welcome any broth- er or person to explore ideas, literary narrative, theory, sociopolitical discourse or simply an existential ‘meeting of the
THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2021 - SPRING 2022
PUBLISHING ACHIEVEMENT IN EVERY FIELD OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR
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