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1-878086-88-X
$29.95 hardcover
6 x 9
382 pages
B-W photos, appendices,
bibliography, index
Down Home Press
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Ned Cline tells the
full and fascinating story of Joe Bryan's fruitful and full life and of
his impact upon the commerce of our state and nation. --William C.
Friday
One of the greatest
things Joe Bryan ever did for the people of this state was what he did
for public television in North Carolina. He was the one responsible for
it happening and he did it without hesitation. Joe didn't make bad
decisions, but this was certainly one of the best and most important
that he ever made. --Charles Crutchfield
I was always
impressed with the amount of thought that he gave to what to do with his
money. He didn't come from any great wealth and he was careful with how
he handled his resources. --Terry Sanford
I never met anyone
like Joe Bryan. He was class personified. The Bryan Center at Duke is
one of the major contributors in the world to Alzheimer's research.
Without him, that facility would not exist. Because of him, people one
day won't be suffering from this disease. --Dr. Allen Roses
Joseph McKinley Bryan, Sr.
could be intransigent one moment and disarmingly endearing the next. But
he was a man with a vision that never faded until a failing body stilled
his alert mind just short of his 100th birthday in 1995.
Bryan overcame poverty, a
mother's mental illness, a father's desertion, a distrusting set of
in-laws and a lack of formal education to become a builder of people as
well as institutions. His good works, and those of his family, are
widespread.
He was instrumental in the
creation of both commercial and public television in North Carolina and
helped build universities and medical facilities. At one time, Bryan was
the largest single donor to Duke University, except for the Dukes. Bryan
family resources led to the creation of the Alzheimer's research
facility at Duke, as well as a student center and major advancements for
the Duke Eye Center. But when Duke didn't fulfill some promises, he
withdrew an additional $15 million he intended to give.
For all his attributes,
successes and good works, however, Bryan couldn't succeed within his own
family, a failure he was never able to overcome and one that privately
tormented him. Ned Cline interviewed scores of people, including family,
friends, associates, and acquaintances to tell the story of this complex
and fascinating man.
about the author
Ned Cline, an award-winning reporter and editor, has chronicled
the lives of North Carolina public officials and public figures for 30
years as a journalist. He has been a reporter for the Salisbury Post,
the Charlotte Observer, and the Greensboro Daily News, and
was managing editor and associate editor of the News & Record
in Greensboro. A political science graduate of Catawba College, he was
awarded a journalism fellowship for a year of graduate studies at
Harvard University. He and his wife live in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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