Herbert “Bert” Brantley

Herbert “Bert” Brantley departed this life on October 8, 2022, at the age of 93. He was born on 2 June 1929 in Nash County, NC, the son of Bertram Clifford Brantley and Mavis Broughton Brantley. He graduated from Spring Hope High School and then attended Appalachian State Teacher’s College where he met Juanita “Johnnie” Grant, who became the love of his life. They were married on August 20, 1950. Their marriage would last over 70 years until she predeceased him in 2021. Shortly after their marriage, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Army Language School in Monterey, CA where he was trained as a Russian-English interpreter. Following completion of his training, he was assigned to then-occupied West Germany where one of his responsibilities was to debrief defecting Red Army soldiers. After completing military service, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, from which he received A.B., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He joined the faculty at North Carolina State University in the Department of Recreation and Park Administration in the early 1960s. In 1966 he became the founding chair of the Department of Recreation and Park Administration at Clemson University. There he would build a distinguished career as an academic and administrator developing the department from a small obscure undergraduate program into a nationally prominent leader in the field with undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs. Many of the students he mentored would go on to prominent careers in academia and park services around the country. When the College of Forest and Recreation Resources was organized, he was named Associate Dean. In the early 1970s, he conceived a vision for an Outdoor Laboratory in which training and research involving both students and faculty could take place alongside camping experiences for youngsters. This institution became the proudest accomplishment of his professional life. Tirelessly soliciting support from service organizations across the state including the Sertomans, Lions, Kiwanis, and others, as well as national foundations, he turned his vision into the reality of a center serving youngsters with special needs. In 1984, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, by Governor Richard Riley. In 1987, he became chair of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he served until his retirement in 1994. Following his retirement, he was named a fellow at the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands. He also studied at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and was licensed as a Certified Lay Pastor, and served small rural congregations across southern Indiana. During his career, he served as Chairman of the S.C. Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Council, President of the S.C. Recreation and Park Society, President of the Society of Park and Recreation Educators, and President of the National Park and Recreation Association.

He is survived by his sons Stephen (Barbara) of Longboat Key, FL and John (Theresa) of Blythewood, SC, grandchildren Kathryn Kapsiak (Mark) of Lovettsville, VA, Jill of Columbia, SC and John, Jr. (Sumter) of Segera, Kenya, and great-grandchildren Tristan Kapsiak, Mackenzie Kapsiak, Zander Kapsiak, Ryker Kapsiak, Daxton Kapsiak, Kameryn Kapsiak, John Broughton Brantley III, and Michael Allen Brantley.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be scheduled at a future date.