Alan Young-Bryant

Alan Young-Bryant

1980-2012"To burn always with this hard, gem-like flame"

--Walter Pater, The Renaissance

Alan Andrew Young-Bryant died Wednesday, December 5, 2012 in Ithaca, NY in an accidental fall from a path along Cascadilla gorge, one of the city's many steep ravines. Recently of Los Angeles, he held a Ph.D. in English literature from Cornell University, and had returned to Ithaca with his longtime partner, Alexis Briley, to celebrate the successful completion of her own doctoral dissertation. He was 32.

Alan was born in Greenfield, MA, on February 29, 1980, and grew up in Brattleboro, VT. From a young age, he was nurtured and mentored by a community of friends, coaches, and teachers. He attended school in Brattleboro, and graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon in 1998. In college, he spent a semester in the Williams College Program in Maritime Studies in Mystic, CT, graduating cum laude from Tufts University in 2003 with a B.A. in English. He earned an M.A. in English at Cornell University in 2007, completing his Ph.D. in 2011 with an original study titled Perverse Form and Victorian Lyric.

Alan is remembered as a remarkable scholar; a gifted athlete and formidable squash opponent; a quick-witted conversationalist and patient listener; and above all as a loving and compassionate friend, son, and brother. A keen cross-country runner and skier, he also loved hiking and sailing, and was drawn to places of natural beauty. During his collegiate and postgraduate years, Alan sought out many opportunities to see the world, and looked forward to future travels.

Alan held teaching positions at Cornell and Ithaca College, and taught widely in English literature and writing. The child of teachers, he was a gifted educator himself, and advisers and colleagues who observed his classes remarked on his ability to draw out, with patience and persistence, the best in his students.

One of Alan's greatest gifts was his rare talent for written expression. His skills as a writer led him to Oaktree Capital Management in Los Angeles, where he worked as an associate since August 2011. Whether academic, informal, or professional, his writing reflected his sharp intellect and subtle wit, as well as the grace, precision, and elegance he brought to all of his pursuits.

A memorial service was held on December 8 on the Cornell campus, where friends and family gathered to celebrate the passion, enthusiasm and dedication which Alan shared with those around him, and to mourn the tragic and sudden loss of a brilliant and vital young man.

A second memorial is scheduled for January 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Northfield Mount Herman School in Gill, MA.

Among his many devoted friends, mentors, and family, Alan is survived by his parents, Peter and Judy Young van Wageningen; his biological father, David and his wife, Myrla Bryant; his sister, Noelle Young Ellis, brother-in-law, Anthony, and nephews Isaac and Perley Ellis; his uncle and aunt, Bob and Kathy Young; aunts Susan Montgomery and Judy Moran; and his beloved, Alexis Briley.

The family has established a memorial fund in honor of Alan and those people and places that had an especially meaningful impact on his life. Contributions marked "In Memory of Alan Young-Bryant" may be sent to Cornell University for the benefit of the English Department, 130 E. Seneca St., Suite 400, Ithaca, NY, 14850. There are also plans to establish a memorial fund in Alan's honor at Northfield Mount Herman School and Brattleboro Area Middle School. Additional details to follow.