George W. Bryan Sr., a prominent businessman, real estate developer and philanthropist, died of natural causes at his home on Friday. He was 78.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday at Mossy Oak Golf Club. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until the time of the service at 2 p.m.
Bryan was born in West Point in 1944, to parents John H. Bryan and Catherine Wilkerson Bryan. He was the youngest of four children. His siblings include Caroline Bryan Harrell of West Point, the late Catherine Bryan “Kitty” Dill and the late John H. Bryan Jr.
Bryan is survived by his wife, Marcia, children Suzanne Lavender Bryan, George Wilkerson Bryan Jr., Laura Bryan Williams and Nancy Bryan Campbell. He is also survived by his 15 grandchildren.
Bryan was preceded in death by his father and mother, a brother, a sister as well as a daughter, Kimberly Bryan.
His father, John H. Bryan Sr., founded Bryan Foods, a meat manufacturing company, in 1936.
George Bryan entered the family business in 1964 upon his graduation from West Point High School.
He attended Mississippi State University, and graduated in 1968 with a degree in business administration. From there, he joined the accounting department of Bryan Foods and continued working his way up the ladder.
He became production manager and vice president of sales before taking over as president in 1974.
By the time he became president of the company, it had become a part of the Sara Lee Corporation.
In 1983, he was named Senior Vice President of Sara Lee Corporation. He also eventually became Chief Executive Officer of Sara Lee Foods, a position in which he served until 2000.
Philanthropy
On top of his business accolades, though, Bryan was also known as a philanthropist.
He served as the general campaign chairman for the United Way of the Mid-South, a 30-year director and member for the Audit, Trust and Compensation Committees of Regions bank and president of the Chickasaw Council Boy Scouts of America. He also served as chairman of the board and director of the American Meat Institute and board director and member of the Trust Committee of Union Planters National Bank in Memphis.
Bryan would be a lifelong supporter of his alma mater, MSU.
He was a longtime board member of the MSU Foundation, served on the College of Business and Industry Dean’s advisory board and has a building named after him on campus.
The Bryan Athletic Administration Building was a $5 million project that opened in January 1995. The building houses the school’s athletic administration offices, the athletic ticket office, the Bulldog Club, media relations and business and student services offices.
“It is difficult to overstate the impact of the loyalty and generosity of George Bryan and his family to Mississippi State University,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum in a statement after Bryan’s death. “George was a force of nature in business and in sports, but it was his rare vision and perspective that is most remarkable. He could see what could be and what should be and then set about making it happen. George and Marcia left an indelible imprint on MSU. On a very personal level, I will miss George’s wise counsel and guidance in ongoing efforts to advance our beloved university. Rhonda joins me in mourning his passing and praying for his family.”
Bryan also received numerous awards from the school including the College of Business and Industry Alumni Fellow in 1992, the College of Business and Industry Alumnus of the Year in 1996 and MSU’s National Alumnus of the Year in 2000.
His work outside of MSU also earned him recognition, with the Liberty Bowl awarding him the “Spirit of 1776” Award in 2013, a “Rube” Award from the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Distinguished Service Award from the Mississippi Golf Association in 2015.
Golf
Golf was another passion of Bryan’s, and his visionary development of Old Waverly put West Point on the map for the sport.
In 1988, Bryan and Marcia opened Old Waverly Golf Club of West Point. The club initially had 29 members and was designed by Bob Cupp, a renowned golf course designer, and U.S. Open winner Jerry Pate.
“The idea of wealth or accomplishment leaves out the idea of greatness,” said VJ Trolio, golf teaching professional at Old Waverly Golf Club, in a statement following Bryan’s death. “Greatness is something more. Greatness is aspiration and victory but it is also inspiring others. God tells us he judges the heart of men which obviously means God expects us to use our gifts for the Glory of God. Simply, he wants us to inspire others. George Bryan did that. George Bryan not only led a life of vision, he allowed so many to lead their own life of vision. He led a life of greatness and we, as coaches, teachers, and players of the game he loved, thank him for inspiring us.”
In 1999, Old Waverly hosted the U.S. Women’s Open, an event that saw approximately 130,000 visitors come to the area. The Clarion Ledger also cites it as the most prestigious sporting event hosted in Mississippi to date.
Following the success of Old Waverly, Bryan set out to open another course. He purchased the Knob Hill Dairy farm across the highway from Old Waverly and set to work developing it.
The second course, Mossy Oak, named after the West Point company of the same name, was designed by Gil Hanse, a minimalist golf course architect. The course opened in 2016.
Both courses were ranked in the top 100 courses by both “Golf Digest” and “Golfweek”.
Bryan is set to be inducted into the Mississippi Golf Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 21 in Jackson.
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