Lawrence Chesterfield Bryant (February 16, 1916 – June 8, 2010) was a professor, principal, pastor, and author. He wrote two books on South Carolina's 19th and early 20th century African American legislators. He was awarded the South Carolina Silver Crescent Award in 2005 for his research and work as an educator.
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
has an extensive collection of his papers.
[
Bryant was born in ]Nash County, North Carolina
Nash County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,970. Its county seat is Nashville.
Nash County is now a part of the Rocky Mount, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, instead of the ...
. His parents were Emmitt Bryant and Hattie Cooper.[ He was one of 12 children.][
He graduated from ]Shaw University
Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...
in 1940 with a B.S. in biology and chemistry. He studied at Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
from 1947 until 1950, receiving a Bachelor of Divinity degree. In 1951 he received an M.A. from New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
.
He applied to teach education at the College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...
in 1956. His application notes several papers he wrote, five years of teaching in Washington D.C. public schools and a year as principal of Augusta County Training School.
He received a doctorate in education from the University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
in 1959. He taught at Virginia Theological Seminary and College
Virginia University of Lynchburg is a private historically black Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia. The university is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools and offers instruction and degrees, ...
in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
. Was a professor of education at Jackson College
Jackson College is a public college in Jackson County, Michigan. Originally established as Jackson Junior College in 1928, Jackson County electors voted to reincorporate the institution as a community college district under the "Public Act 188 ...
in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...
. Was a dean and professor of education at Florida Memorial College
Florida Memorial University is a private historically black university in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is a member of the United Negro College Fund and historically related to Baptists although it claims a focus on broader Christianity.
History ...
. He was a professor of education at South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a mem ...
from 1960 until 1986.[
He was pastor at First Baptist Church in ]Harrisburg, Virginia
Harrisburg is a small unincorporated community in Charlotte County, Virginia, United States. Its elevation is 548 feet (167 m).
The Cove was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRH ...
.[
In 2005 he was presented the Silver Crescent Award by state representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter on behalf of South Carolina governor ]Mark Sanford
Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the ...
. Sanford's letter accompanying the award praised Bryant's work as an educator, his genealogical research that helped "many people throughout South Carolina trace their family roots and history", and his "historical reports about South Carolina, her leaders and her history."[
Ila Thomas Bryant was his wife. They had two children and three grandsons.][
]
Bibliography
*''A guidance handbook of junior and senior colleges in Mississippi'' Florida Normal & Industrial Memorial College (1957)
*''Negro Legislators in South Carolina 1868-1902'' School of Graduate Studies, South Carolina State College (1967), preceded by a preliminary report (1966)
*''A Historical and Genealogical Record of Lawrence Bryant and Pattie Sessoms' Five Other Sons of Nash County, North Carolina'' (1968)
*''Autobiography of Lawrence C. Bryant'' (1971)
*'' "The Origin of the Founding of African-American Colleges of the United States''
*''South Carolina Negro Legislators: A Glorious Success''[
*"The Status of Music in the Negro High Schools of South Carolina" written with John Henry Deloach (July 1, 1964)]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Lawrence Chesterfield
1916 births
2010 deaths
People from Nash County, North Carolina
Shaw University alumni
Howard University alumni
New York University alumni
Curry School of Education alumni
South Carolina State University faculty