<BillNo> <Sponsor>
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 474
By Pody
SJR0474
007898
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A RESOLUTION to honor Thomas Allen "T.A." Bryan, Sr., on his
lifetime of service to his community and the
State of Tennessee.
WHEREAS, it is fitting that we should salute those citizens who, through their
extraordinary efforts, have distinguished themselves as community leaders of whom we can all
be proud; and
WHEREAS, one such noteworthy person is Thomas Allen "T.A." Bryan, Sr., a highly
successful businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, who has an extensive record of
accomplishment and a distinguished lifetime of service to his community; and
WHEREAS, a native son of Tennessee, Thomas Allen "T.A." Bryan, Sr., was born in
January 1935 in Shop Springs and graduated from Lebanon High School in 1953; and
WHEREAS, as a young man, T.A. Bryan worked at Kingsboro Silk Mill and Hartmann
Luggage before embarking on a career in the insurance industry that saw him receive general
agent status with Transamerica Occidental and Ohio National Insurance; and
WHEREAS, he worked hard to complete his Chartered Life Underwriter degree, an
accomplishment recognized as one of the most respected designations in the life insurance
industry; and
WHEREAS, in 1969, Mr. Bryan and his wife purchased the Martha Gaston Hospital
property located on South College Street in Lebanon, remodeled the building, and transformed
the property into office space that included his insurance agency; and
WHEREAS, the tenants over the years included the medical practices of Dr. John Hill
Tilley, Dr. Roscoe Kash, Lebanon Heating & Air, Rapid Print, and the radiology practice of Dr.
Harvey Grime, to name a few; and
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WHEREAS, an active part of his community, Mr. Bryan has been involved in local
politics his entire career and has lent his time and talents to a number of charitable causes
throughout his adult life; and
WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith, T.A. Bryan is a longtime member of First
Baptist Church in Lebanon, where he served as a deacon for more than thirty-six years and as a
trustee; and
WHEREAS, in the late 1960s, he and a number of dear friends founded the Faith
Rescue Mission, which is known as the first homeless shelter for families; and
WHEREAS, in 1974, he founded Cedarcroft Home, a safe shelter for those men in the
Lebanon community who were down on their luck, mentally unstable, recovering addicts, or
homeless. Cedarcroft became a State-licensed facility and has housed thousands of men,
providing food, shelter, and clothes in a loving, Christian environment; and
WHEREAS, currently, 150 men live on the Cedarcroft campus, which expanded several
years ago to include the Margie Anna Nursing Home property and several adjacent houses on
College Street. Cedarcroft Home, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity, is the largest facility of its type in
the State of Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, the Bryan family hosted a Vietnamese family early in the 1970s after
learning about the need for host families seeking refuge just after the Vietnam War ended. The
Bryans remain in contact with the Do Nu Dien family to this day; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his ministry through Cedarcroft, Mr. Bryan is active with
Gideons International and is a sixty-two-year member of the Kiwanis Club of Lebanon; he led a
Sunday School class at Quality Care Nursing Home each Sunday; and
WHEREAS, until just a few years ago at age eighty-eight, he could routinely be seen at
the local post office each morning going through the day's mail and at the local grocery stores
purchasing snacks and soda for local government officials; and
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WHEREAS, over his lifetime, Mr. Bryan has milked cows, slopped hogs, repaired sewing
machines, taught Sunday School, preached funerals, cooked Wednesday night meals for
thousands at his church, developed a subdivision, served on bank and hospital boards, and
attended numerous sporting events both for his children and grandchildren, all while providing a
comfortable life for his family; and
WHEREAS, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Mr. Bryan has been married to
the love of his life, Jean, for sixty-nine years; they are the proud parents of three sons, Tommy,
Robert "Tick", and John B. Bryan, and the adoring grandparents of six grandchildren and nine
great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, T.A. Bryan epitomizes the spirit and commitment that are characteristic of a
true Tennessean; and
WHEREAS, we find it appropriate to acknowledge and applaud Mr. Bryan for his
dedication to the State of Tennessee and its citizens; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, th at we honor and commend Thomas Allen "T.A." Bryan,
Sr., for his lifetime of service to his community and the State of Tennessee, extending our best
wishes for much continued success in all his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.