About Travis Bryant
He went by many names. Travis, Trav, Uncle T, Papa, Coach, Mr. B.
Honey.
Dad.
He wore a lot of hats. He was a high school band director, worship leader, house parent on a boys' ranch, Chic-fil-a manager, hardware store clerk, camp staffer at the Glorietta Baptist Encampment - whatever he needed to be to take care of his family and his people.
His heart was light; his smile was pure; his laughter, contagious.
In short, he was one of the best of us. He was loved by many, because he loved so many, and made it look effortless.
Travis Bryant was born in Espanola, New Mexico to Glenn and Virginia Bryant. He graduated from Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, New Mexico having played baseball, football, and trombone. He went on to acquire a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Wayland Baptist University in 1983. It was at Wayland that he met and married his best friend, Cathy, in 1981, and had his first son, Josh, in 1982.
He began his journey of sharing his wisdom and faith through music when he became the head band director in Paducah, Texas. It was there he and Cathy had their second son, Jase, in 1985. In 1987, he became the Band Director at Comanche ISD, and the Bryants moved from the panhandle to the heartland. While in Comanche, he travelled, studied for, and earned his Master's Degree in Music Education from East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas (now TAMU-C).
In 1994, Mr. B heard the call to serve the world in music ministry, and he answered. After a stint as a travelling music evangelist, he found his first parsonage at First Baptist Church of Nocona, Texas, and then his next at First Baptist Church of New Boston, Texas, starting in 1996. He stood and led from behind the pulpit there for the next 17 years, directing the church's adult choir, youth choir, and band, running a ministry for single adults, and having catches in the back yard with his boys. He was part of the Singing Men of Texas, which also gave concerts all over the country.
After Josh and Jase reached adulthood, he and Cathy moved around for a while. They served together for a season as house parents at the Arkansas Baptist Boys Ranch in Harrison, Arkansas. Through the years following, they made home in various places around Northwest Arkansas and even found their way back to New Mexico for a few years, where Travis served at First Baptist Church of Santa Fe.
Having offered over two decades of faithful ministration to Southern Baptist Churches, he found his way back to a familiar place, this time as the Assistant Band Director at Comanche ISD. It was just a few years later when he accepted the Head Band Director position at early ISD, where he would serve his band and community until his untimely passing in September of 2024.
Obviously, he was a musician. But Mr. B wasn't just a musician, nor just a student of the song. He knew that the song was simply the sound that pointed to God, and that, often times, it took listening to the silence to understand the sound.
He was understanding, with a unique skill and passion for sharing his wisdom and knowledge with younger generations, with the song as his textbook, the melody of life as his guide. He understood the growing pains his children experienced as they entered adulthood, and was always there for guidance, comfort, and support. He understood kids have to have fun. He understood feelings of fear and was always measured and even keeled in the face of an emergency or less than ideal situation.
Dad... Dad was a servant. He never failed at putting others before himself. He would rather cook a meal than have it served to him, and would subsequently do the dishes after everyone's plates were clean. He would drive through the night when everyone else was sound asleep, and barely bat an eye. He'd wake up every morning with the intent to take care of Cathy, Josh, Jase, and their home, and never utter a word of complaint about what was required of him.
Dad was a man whose heart beat hard for everyone else around him, before it ever took a beat for itself.
Mr. B was a man of (by its truest definition) integrity, with a fearless acceptance that the hard road was the road worth choosing. Anyone that took the time to know him would be quick to realize that his character was unquestionable, and his convictions were divine.
He also cared about his community. He helped his students get involved in the community, whether through concerts, parades, or other events the kids could enhance with their presence and music.
Travis Bryant was survived by his wife of 43 years, two sons, five grandchildren, two brothers and one sister, and many other relatives, not to mention the countless lives he touched through is love of music.
This website cannot possibly capture the man that he was in short order, but the family hopes it exists into perpetuity to continue his legacy. The scholarship founded in his honor and memory exists to carry on the values he taught his students and support those who will take those lessons and carry them into their collegiate experiences.