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Submitted: 10/2/17 • Approved: 10/4/17 • Last Updated: 10/7/17 • R1196845-G1196843-S3
Billy
COLONEL US Army
World War II
August 8, 1921 - January 3, 2010
*Obituary
Rogers Morning News
Friday, January 8, 2010
FAYETTEVILLE — Billy Bird Bryan, professor emeritus, died Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at the age of 88, in Fayetteville, Ark., where he has lived since 1953. Billy was born Aug. 8, 1921, on a farm outside Forrest City in St. Francis County, Ark. His parents were Roderick Olonza Bryan and Frankie Ailee Bird Bryan.
The eldest of five children, Billy and his siblings grew up on a typical cotton farm in the Mississippi River Delta area of eastern Arkansas, where fields were plowed and cultivated by using mules and horses for power. Billy began his education in a one room country school located about one mile from his home.
For the first two years, the teacher roomed with his maternal grandmother, Maggie Fitch Bird, and each day, Billy's father would drive the horse drawn buggy to take Billy and the teacher to and from school. By the fourth grade, the country schools consolidated into the Forrest City School system and by the fifth grade, Billy could ride the bus to school. During his last years in the Forrest City schools, Billy was in the debating group, the senior play, FFA, a state farmer, and actively participated in the public speaking program wining several contests in the state.
His senior year in high school, 1938-1939, he was elected state president of the Arkansas FFA Chapter and given a full expense scholarship to Arkansas Polytechnic College (now Arkansas Tech University). He was elected national vice president for the Southern Region of FFA and traveled extensively to FFA conventions in Chicago and states throughout the South, Billy received his associate of agriculture degree in 1941.
Billy married his high school sweetheart, Mildred Vaughn, on Feb. 14, 1942. They had been married 67 years when "Mil" passed away on March 12, 2009.
In July, 1942, Billy was inducted into the U.S. Army and assigned to the artillery battalion of a new Army, 81st Division. In January 1943, he was sent to OCS at Fort Sill, Okla. He deployed to the combat area of eastern France in 1944 and thereafter served as a reconnaissance officer, battery executive, battery commander and S2 of field artillery unit.
At the conclusion of hostilities in Europe, Billy was assigned to the Army of Occupation with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, where he remained for a year.
After the war, Billy continued his military service in the U.S. Army Reserve with assignments in the 306th Civil Affairs Group, as an instructor in the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and in the 122 ARCOM as chief of staff. Billy retired from the Army in 1981 as a colonel.
He is member of the Artillery Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame, ROA, and an honorary member of the U.S. Army Reserve Civil Affairs Corps Regiment.
In 1947, Billy and Mil moved to Lincoln, Neb., where Billy studied agricultural engineering at the University of Nebraska, Billy completed his B.S. in agricultural engineering in January 1950, and his MS in 1954.
After completing his on-campus course work, he accepted a position as assistant professor of extension service at Kansas he accepted a position as assistant professor of extension service at Kansas State University. In 1953, he accepted a position as assistant professor in the Agricultural Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, with the assignment of research in cotton mechanization and irrigation. Billy was appointed acting head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering in 1964 and head in 1969.
Billy devoted a great deal of his time with the university to recruiting and advising students, as well as supporting the research and teaching activities of the faculty. In 1986, he resigned as department head but continued to devote his time to recruiting students, teaching, and advising.
Billy retired from the university in 1991 after 38 years of service. Upon his retirement, Billy was honored by the establishment of the Billy Bryan Scholarship in the Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
He is a member of Tau Beta Phi, Sigma Tau, Alpha Gamma Rho, a charter member of the Academy of Biological and Agricultural Engineering; the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, a Registered Professional Engineer, Licensed Professional Engineer, a UAR Volunteer, and a past member and president (1970-71) of the Fayetteville chapter of Kiwanis International.
Since 1958, Billy has been a member of First Baptist Church in Fayetteville where he has taught Sunday School and served as a deacon and past chairman of the deacons.
Billy is preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Roderick Olonza Bryan, Jr.; his twin sisters, Anna Faye Bryan Childs and Sarah Frances Bryan Clark; and his beloved wife, Mildred.
Billy is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, William Walter Bryan II and Marlene Bryan of Cookson, Okla.; by his brother-in-law, Leon Vaughn of Massachusetts; his two daughters, Patricia Necessary Hawkins, wife of Barry Michael Hawkins of Garfield, Ark., and Pamela Bryan Gibson and Sam Gibson of Benton, Ark.; and his two grandsons, Jason Michael Necessary of Rogers, Ark., and Colin Bryan Necessary of Garfield, Ark.
A memorial service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010, at First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ark. The family invites all Billy's friends to visit with the family at the church after the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Billy B. Bryan Scholarship Fund, c/o the University of Arkansas Foundation, Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, E-204 AFLS, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701.
To sign the online guest book, visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.
Mildred
March 14, 1920 - March 12, 2009
*Obituary
The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas
Saturday, March 14, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE — Mildred Vaughn Bryan, wife of Billy B. Bryan for the last 67 years, died March 12, 2009, in Fayetteville, where she and Mr. Bryan had lived since 1953.
She committed her long adult life to making a good home for her husband and tending to the raising of her two daughters, Pamela Bryan Gibson of Benton, wife of Sam E. Gibson, and Patricia "Tricia" Bryan Necessary Hawkins and her husband Barry of Garfield.
Outside the home, she was devoted to her church and spent many happy days playing golf with her husband and with the Ladies Golf Association of the Fayetteville Country Club.
Mrs. Bryan had been a member of First Baptist Church, Fayetteville, since 1958.
Now completing her 89th year, she was born March 14, 1920, at Forrest City, daughter of the late Irene Nail Vaughn and Algie Nonnie Vaughn. She had two brothers, Leon Vaughn, formerly of Forrest City, now residing in Massachusetts, and the late Algie Nonnie Vaughn III.
Other survivors are her grandsons, Colin Bryan Necessary of Garfield, and Jason Michael Necessary of Rogers, and her aunt, Frances Jane Nail Hood of Dallas.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Moore's Chapel, Fayetteville.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at Butterfield Trail Village.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Billy B. Bryan Scholarship Fund, c/o the University of Arkansas Foundation, Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, E-204 AFLS, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 72701.
To sign the online guest book, visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.
Contributed on 10/2/17 by wfields55
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Record #: 1196845