Public mourns loss of Raymond A. Bryan Jr.
By Steve Herring
Published in News on April 1, 2016 1:46 PM
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Raymond A. Bryan Jr.
The public will never know all of the things that Raymond A. Bryan Jr. has done for Wayne County -- things he did out of the kindness of his heart and without seeking any public recognition, say the people who know him.
Bryan, chairman of the board for T.A. Loving Co., died Wednesday night.
He was 84.
Bryan had followed in the footsteps of his father, Raymond Bryan Sr., becoming president of T.A. Loving Co. in 1969 and chairman in 1988, both positions previously held by his father. His son, Steve, is a vice president at the company.
"He was involved in all of it," local businessman Jack Best said. "He was just a wonderful philanthropist, and he never said no hardly. He was just a wonderful guy."
Bryan was a pillar in this community, not only the local community, but was a center of influence and a pillar throughout the state of North Carolina, said Keith Gunnett, a financial adviser for Wells Fargo Advisors, who has known Bryan for more than 40 years.
"I think he participated in the growth of this state," Gunnett said. "His company did an awful lot of work with hospitals and higher education colleges. They did a lot of buildings of that sort. He was well known. He was a well-respected guy.
"He had a a good heart. He had a kind heart. He was a philanthropist to many causes. He was always dependable. He was one of those guys if you needed something done, needed some help, he would very quietly in a lot of cases, help you get things done for the betterment of this community. That is what I remember about him -- he was just somebody you could count on. He was a guy when he said he would do something, you could go ahead and put that in the bank."
Bryan was quiet about most of the things he did and did not seek publicity for them, Gunnett said.
"He didn't want any fanfare," he said. "He didn't want any plaques. He didn't want any honors coming his way. He just knew that it what he wanted to do because that was what his heart told him to do. If you needed some advice, needed some counseling, needed somebody to help get something done, you could count on Ray."
"The one word that describes Ray Bryan to me is generous," T.A. Loving president and CEO Sam Hunter said.
Hunter said his office was near Bryan's and that he often saw community leaders headed to Bryan's office to ask for help with community projects.
"He was involved in so many generous contributions, to Campbell (University), N.C. State, to Vidant Hospital. Those are some that come to mind.
"He was a generous person and that extended to the employees. We have about 275 employees at T.A. Loving whose livelihood depends upon the company, and he has allowed his management to run the company and to look out for our reputation -- a lot of times at the expense of financial gains."
Bryan was generous to all types of people, Hunter said.
"He interacted with people from all walks of life," he said. "He is probably the definition of kind hearted. He was my boss since 1988, and you couldn't have a better person to work for. He was certainly a person who empowered people who worked for him to do their jobs."
Bryan earned his bachelor's degree in construction from N.C. State College in 1953. He and the Bryan Family Foundation established an endowed scholarship in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the university.
Bryan is a former director of the N.C. State Engineering Foundation Board.
He served as first lieutenant with U.S. Army in Korea from 1954-55.
Bryan was serving as vice chairman of the Campbell University board of trustees and is a past chairman.
Bryan is a recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Citizen's Award for contributions and improvements in the quality of life in civic, business, religious undertakings and service to Campbell University.
He was named a James E. West Fellow for his contributions to the Boy Scouts. He is past director for First Union National Bank-Southeast; past president of the N.C. State Student Aid Association (Wolfpack Club); past chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board; and past member of the Independent College Fund of North Carolina board of trustees.
He past president of the Wayne County Boys Club and recipient of the Boys Club Medallion for Outstanding Service.