death_place death_date birth_place birth_date article_title name occupation
greensboro , north carolina 26 april 1995 elyria , ohio 11 february 1896 joseph m. bryan
 joseph m. bryan insurance executive
joseph m. bryan

joseph mckinley bryan -lrb- february 11 , 1896 - april 26 , 1995 -rrb- was an american insurance executive , broadcast pioneer , and philanthropist .
born in elyria , ohio , bryan was the second son of bart and caroline ebert bryan .
after serving overseas in world war i , he returned to new york city to take a job with a cotton firm .
in 1923 he became the youngest member of the new york cotton exchange .
bryan married kathleen m. price of greensboro , north carolina , on november 19 .
1927 .
in 1931 , the couple moved to greensboro , where bryan accepted a job offer from julian price , his wife 's father and founder of the jefferson standard life insurance company .
bryan joined the staff of the jefferson standard life insurance company and moved up through the ranks .
in 1934 he became the president of a subsidiary company which purchased wbig , then greensboro 's only radio station , and saved it from being taken off the air .
the company expanded its broadcasting division in 1945 with it purchased wbt in charlotte .
four years later , wbtv became the first television station to air in north and south carolina .
bryan went on to serve in various capacities with several large corporations .
in addition to being senior vice president of jefferson standard life insurance company and chairman of the board of pilot life insurance company , he served as a member of the board of the parent corporation , jefferson-pilot , until 1993 when he was made honorary and lifetime member of the board .
bryan also served on the boards of ncnb , atlantic and yadkin railroad , and several personal companies .
he was one of the original six members of the north carolina business hall of fame .
kathleen died in 1984 after a long battle with alzheimer 's disease .
frustrated by the lack of knowledge on the disease in the medical community , bryan backed an experimental procedure at duke university involving rapid autopsies of victims of alzheimer 's .
the initial success of the program prompted him to donate ten million for alzheimer 's research , putting duke university medical center at the forefront of the battle against the disease .
bryan was also involved in civic organizations such as the rotary club , masons , shriners , and other community groups .
he served on several governmental committees , including the governor 's committee on low income housing and the u.s. state department 's fine arts committee .
in 1961 , governor luther hodges named bryan chairman of the north carolina state board of elections .
in 1986 , bryan received the north carolina award in public service .
the bryans ' long standing record of philanthropy has received national recognition .
in 1955 , the bryan family foundation was established as a vehicle for their benevolence .
education was always a priority .
the university of north carolina at greensboro , north carolina school of science and math , duke university , greensboro college , north carolina a&t state university , guilford college , bennett college , belmont abbey , converse college and many more institutions have benefited from the generosity of mr. and mrs. bryan .
uncg 's school of business and economics was named in honor of joseph m. bryan .
bryan was a sports enthusiast known for his love of golf .
he was an early member of the augusta national golf club .
the greensboro jaycees approached him in 1937 to assist in guaranteeing the purse of the first greater greensboro open pga tour tournament , which took place in 1938 .
he later became honorary general chairman for the golf tournament , now known as the wyndham championship .
in 1971 , the city of greensboro named bryan park , a new municipal golf complex , in honor of mr. and mrs. bryan .
fishing and shooting were also among bryan 's favorite pastimes .
he particularly liked to salmon fish in canada and was an award-winning marlin fisherman .
whether in the united states or in europe , he could be found among the world 's elite shooters .
in the last year of his life , including the day he was admitted to the hospital , bryan made daily visits to his office in the jefferson standard building .
he died in greensboro on april 26 , 1995 .
