Former UF student president with storied career remembered with blank space

There is a display of 116 photos on the third floor of the J. Wayne Reitz Union building on the University of Florida Campus.

Each picture features the school's student body presidents spanning more than a century − with the exception of one missing image for Thomas Wesley Bryant.

Few know why that is, despite the man's significant accomplishments long after his UF days, which include serving in the Florida Legislature.

“I am surprised that Bryant’s photo is not displayed, as he had a successful career after leaving UF andwe have a building named after him, Bryant Hall, or, currently, the Bryant Space Science Center,” said Carl Van Ness, a UF historian.

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Growing up

Bryant graduated from UF over 100 years ago, but his legacy is still remembered by some.

He was born in 1890 in Socrum, Florida, and grew up in Lakeland, Florida, for most of his life. He played an integral role in helping start the Lakeland High School football team, the Dreadnaughts. The field was named in his honor in 1941.

Soon after that, he attended UF from 1909 to 1915, where he earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree. He served as student president from 1911 to 1912.

Though he has a "photo not available" disclaimer in the Reitz Union, much of his time on campus is archived in yearbooks, which at the time was coincidently named "The Seminole," the mascot for school rival Florida State University.Bryant was a member of several societies and clubs on campus, including the Political Club, Woodrow Wilson Club, Farr Literary Society, Cooley Law Club, I Kappa Kegs and the Yocun Literary Society.

His long list of achievements while at UF is tough to include on any single-page resume. He was named to the executive committee of the Athletic Association, served as assistant editor-in-chief for the Seminole, assistant business manager for Pennant in 1911, was president of the John Marshall Debating Club, was president of the Bryan Club, initiate of the Phi Kappa Phi fraternity and Toastmaster of Polk County Club.Bryant won several awards, too, including the Board of Control Oratorical Medal in 1912, the same year he was named student president. During his final year as a Gator, he was voted best "bull" artist, the third most popular student and named his class' orator.

Not everything appeared to come easy to Bryant.

Serving in the war

Following his graduation from law school, he attempted to jump into the legal profession but was halted by WWI, according to "History of Polk County," by Michael F. Hetherington.

Bryant served in several battles in France as part of the 2nd He served in many battles in France as part of the 2nd Battalion of the 319th Field Artillery in the Eighty-Second Division for three months.

After his exit from the war, he became a member of the firm of Bryant & Trantham, which, accordingto Hetherington, enjoyed the “patronage and confidence of an extensive and influential clientele.”

Bryant’s reputation built momentum and he was soon elected to the Florida Legislature in 1922,representing his hometown Lakeland. He was then reelected in 1924 and again in 1926.While in office, he was influential in bringing street lights to downtown Lakeland and supported the construction of Alligator Alley. State Road 33, just north of Lakeland, is named after him. After his time in the Legislature, Bryant’s path led him back to UF, where he served three terms on theBoard of Control — the predecessor to the Board of Regents — from 1936 to 1949.Bryant helped protect UF's third president, John James Tigert, and fend off personal attacks and charges from other members of the Board of Control, said Sarah Coates, a UF certified archivist.

With the help, Tigert went on to establish several hallmarks that have made UF what it is today, including general education requirements for the Center for Latin American Studies and the Bureau of Economic and BusinessResearch.“Tigert would not have been able to make these changes, among others, without the support of theBoard of Control, especially as the state Legislature had few funding opportunities to give the universityduring the Depression,” Coates said.

Bryant's personal life

Bryant's life wasn't all work. He was a family man, too.He married Lydia Steitz in 1920 and had three daughters together: Margaret, Nell and Betty.

He died in 1992 at the age of 102 and was buried in Oak Hill Burial Park in Lakeland, Florida.The Lakeland Ledger reported his death, saying he never missed a home Gator football game for 58 years, from 1909 to 1967. In 1982, Gator Boosters named Bryant the oldest living football fan at the time.Before his death, he received the George Jenkins Award for public service from the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce in 1987.

Bryant has seven living grandchildren who are direct descendants: David B Kibler, IV; Thomas Bryant Kibler; Jackie Kibler Thompson; Nancy Dew Ross; Anne McNeill Olliff, Lance McNeill and Mark McNeill.

He also has distant relatives, which include Patrick Lombardi and Robbie Miller. Lombardi is Bryant’s first cousin three times removed and Miller (Lombardi’s cousin) married into the family, her mother-in-law being Bryant’s second cousin once removed. Still, they say his legacy lives on.“He is a very important person around here,” Miller said. “I was told by the family members that he always had a cigar, used cuss words, knew everything about everything and he and his family made the city of Lakeland all that it is today."

It's unclear exactly why his photo isn't displayed, as it is available in Vol. 5 of "The Seminole" yearbook. To do so, people may need to reach out on his behalf to where his storied career first started.“To get Mr. Bryant's photo on display, I would say that folks would need to speak to the StudentGovernment to request that his photo be displayed with the other Student Body Presidents,” Coates said.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Thomas Wesley Bryant's lifelong accomplishments surpass legacy at UF