Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ

BOLIVAR, Mo. — John A. Bryant ’61 of Bolivar, and Charles E. Clemmons, Jr., ’59 of Seabrook, Texas, will receive honorary doctorates from Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ during the annual Founders’ Day chapel service at 10 a.m. Monday, March 6, in Pike Auditorium.

Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ awards honorary doctorates to recognize outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to society and to kingdom work.

John A. Bryant ’61

John A. Bryant was born and raised in Peabody, Mass., graduating from Peabody High School in 1958. He graduated from Southwest Baptist College in 1961 with an associate of arts degree. He then earned a bachelor of science in mathematics education (1963) and a master of science in mathematics education (1966), both from Mississippi College. He earned a second graduate degree, a master of arts in mathematics, from the University of Illinois in 1970. In 1966, he was hired by SWBC as a mathematics teacher, and named the new men’s tennis coach.

Bryant produced and mentored Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ’s first men’s tennis and athletics program national champion in the late Alvar Jordan, who won the 1983 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) singles championship. The following year (1984), the team won the school’s first national team title and doubles title.

The school transitioned from the NAIA to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II in 1986 and joined the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ won the MIAA men’s championship in its conference debut. Bryant became the women’s coach in 2005, which resulted in the first of the team’s six MIAA titles in 2008. Bryant has recruited players to Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ from every continent, with the exception of Antarctica.

In his 50 years at Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ, Bryant has amassed a record of 937-523, won national championships, made 48 national appearances, had 36 men and seven women be named all-America, been named national coach of the year in 1983 and 1990, and was inducted into the Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ Sports Hall of Fame (1982), the NAIA Hall of Fame (1987) and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (2010). In 2001, the Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ tennis courts were named in his honor.

While coaching, Bryant also served as assistant director of athletics (1987-89) and director of athletics (1989-1994). He retired from teaching mathematics in 2016, and was recognized as the Orien B. Hendrex Distinguished Teacher in 1974 and given the Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 1996.

Bryant and his wife, Dr. Judy Bryant, reside in Bolivar and have been married for 52 years. They have one daughter, Jana Horner, an Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ graduate, who, along with husband, Doug, works as a radiologist at Citizens Memorial Hospital, and twin grandchildren, John Douglas and Jillian.

Charles E. Clemmons Jr. ’59

Charles E. Clemmons Jr., was born Jan. 1, 1939 in Paola, Kan. His father served as a Southern Baptist minister and his mother was active in state and national WMU activities. As a young man, Clemmons served as the Ambassador-in-Chief for the State of Missouri, attained rank of Ambassador Plenipotentiary in the Royal Ambassadors of the Southern Baptist Convention, and served as a page to the President of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Clemmons received an associate’s degree from Southwest Baptist College in 1959 and a bachelor of science degree from Iowa State University in 1961. He went to work for the department of the Navy for seven years in Washington, D.C., before working 12 years for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in New York for the U.S. Army.

Clemmons and his family moved to Tuscan, Ariz., where he worked for a design team for the L-1011 commercial aircraft before moving to Houston, Texas, to work for the Johnson Space Center. In 1979, Clemmons founded Pro-tem, Inc., now doing business as PTI Systems, Inc. PTI remains the dominate supplier of radiation tracking and work authorizing software in the nuclear power industry.

In 1994, Clemmons retired from his company, but continues to serve on the company’s board of directors, while turning his attention to Rotary International. Clemmons has held several Rotary offices, nationally and internationally, and has been honored with the Rotary International’s Service Above Self Award, the Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award and the Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service.

Clemmons also founded the Second Wind Foundation, which collects books and other educational material and ships them to developing countries. Since its founding, the foundation has sent more than 12 million books to 20 different countries. Many of the books, including Bibles, go to orphanages and schools in countries where it is hard for missionaries to enter.

Clemmons and his wife, Barbara, are members of the Taylor Lake Christian Church in Seabrook, Texas, where he serves as a trustee. The couple has four children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Founders’ Day chapel is open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Brad Johnson, vice president of university relations, at (417) 328-1805.