Clifton Dow Bryant

Dr. Clifton Dow Bryant, 77, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Virginia Tech, died quietly on Monday, September 13, 2010, at Heritage Hall Nursing Home in Blacksburg, Va. He was born in Jackson, Miss., on December 25, 1932, to Clifton Edward Bryant and Helen Dow Bryant, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Patty Watts Bryant, of Brookhaven, Miss.; by four children, Melinda Arrington, Deborah Miller and son-in-law, Glenn Miller, Diane Foster and son-in-law, Jeffrey Foster; and his son, Clifton Dow Bryant II. Also surviving are five grandchildren, Ryan Foster, Joshua Foster, Jake Foster, Bryan Miller, and Annalea Marrenger; and two aunts, Dorothy Cabell and Lucy Noblin.
Dr. Bryant moved to Blacksburg in 1972, as Chairman of the Department of Sociology, where he remained until his retirement in 2007. At Virginia Tech he received six teaching awards, and also was the recipient of the CLAHS Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Award. During his career, he enjoyed faculty status at six American colleges and universities, and two Asian universities – Xavier University in the Philippines and National Taiwan University in Taiwan. He also was a visiting scientist at three scientific institutes, including the United States Army Research Institute. He received two Fulbright Summer Awards, permitting him to tour Hungary and The People's Republic of China.
Dr. Bryant is a past president of the Southern Sociological Society, where he was inducted into the Honor Roll of Fame, and also of the Mid-South Sociological Association, where he received their Distinguished Career Award.
He founded the academic journals,
Sociological Symposium and Deviant Behavior
. Additionally he served as Associate Editor or Member of the Editorial Board of six other journals.
He has authored or edited 11 single-volume books, edited one four-volume encyclopedia and one two-volume reference handbook, co-edited one two-volume reference handbook, and just published another two-volume encyclopedia. He has a twovolume,
Handbook of Deviance
in production with Routledge in England, which is to be released in November. He has authored many research reports and articles in journals and periodicals. His two-volume,
Handbook of Death and Dying
was selected by the American Library Association as one of the "Outstanding Reference Source" books for 2003.
He loved to travel, and he and his wife have visited over 40 countries over the past years. Dr. Bryant was a hunting enthusiast who went on five safaris in Africa, and he was an avid collector of art and antiques, including Asian art, illuminated manuscripts and Chinese porcelain. He served in the military during the 1950's, as Company Commander and Chief of Police at Fort Rucker, Ala.
A Memorial Service will be held 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 16, 2010, at McCoy Funeral Home in Blacksburg with visitation for friends and family from 10 to 11 a.m. Interment will be at Lakewood Memorial Park in Jackson, Miss., 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 18, 2010, where a graveside service will be held.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Cancer Society.