In her 40 years with Atlanta Public Schools, there weren't many sports for girls that Frances Bryan didn't touch. The cheerleading, swimming, softball, track and field, drill, and rifle teams at Northside High School all saw her as a coach, or sponsor, in the '50s. And her days in the gym, in the pool, on the range and on the field came to an end as she moved on to administration, where she eventually served as the coordinator of physical education and athletics for the Atlanta school system.
"There were not many women at that level during that time," said Dr. Lucia B. Norwood, executive director of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association, and retired DeKalb County educator. "She was helping break ground for the women who serve as athletic directors and sports administrators today."
Frances Hale Bryan, of Tucker, died suddenly Friday at home of a suspected heart attack. She was 82. She requested to be cremated, but did not want a formal service. The family will receive friends from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday at A. S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, Decatur, which is also in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Bryan always had an interest in physical activity, said her brother Gene Hale, who lives in Boston. Born in Riverside, Calif., she grew up primarily in Kingsport, Tenn. Before graduating from East Tennessee State University, the former Miss Hale, who was the head majorette for four years, met the captain of the ETSU football team, Kenneth M. Bryan, Jr. The two married shortly after graduation, moved to Nashville and both earned master's degrees in education, with a focus on physical education, from Vanderbilt University. The Bryans moved to Atlanta in 1956, where they both had jobs with the Atlanta school system, said their son, Kenneth M. "Mac" Bryan III, of Lavonia.
Mrs. Bryan's career in Atlanta started as a physical education teacher at Northside. She left the school in 1965 to be the school system's coordinator of health, physical education, intramurals and girls sports. In 1976, she took on the role of coordinating all physical education programs and athletics for the system. During that time, she helped develop curriculum for all students and championed girls' sports across the state. She retired in 1996, her son said.
In 2011, the Georgia Athletic Directors Association, based in Stone Mountain, honored Mrs. Bryan's career and accomplishments by naming her to its Hall of Fame. At the time, she told organizers she did it "all for the athletes."
Mr. Hale was extremely proud of his sister, especially since "she grew up at a time when women were not necessarily supposed to be independent."
"I think every day of her life was a day of being fully engaged," he added. "And by making life better for the people she knew, she made life better for herself."
In addition to her husband, son and brother, Mrs. Bryan is survived by two grandsons.
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