The Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame could not have made a more deserving choice in selecting Norm Bryant as its 2005 inductee for Special Services. “There were a lot of people who deserved this before me, but I am honored,” Bryant said. “I was always taught that if I can help one person, my life was not in vain.” Bryant has been able to combine all the positives that athletics and community services can offer.
He is founder of the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame, and current vice-chairman of the Atwood Stadium Authority. He has served in numerous civic organizations, including past president of the Salem Housing Task Force, which helps families acquire home ownership, and the Genesee County Big Brothers. However, the best example of Bryant’s giving is his six years of service on the Flint Community School Board. He never accepted his stipend, instead donating every penny to the district’s middle school athletic program. In fact, Bryant’s reputation for bringing people together has made some community leaders approach him as a possible mayoral candidate.
“I love Flint, and it’s sad and it hurts to see the town I love so much struggle,” he said. “And the problem is we’ve got some people in this city that haven’t been here during its heyday, and the present struggles are all they know.”But I know how great it was here, and I know we can do better. However, we’ve got to stop talking about what Flint used to be, and start looking ahead at what we can do to make it better.”
Bryant was a football and track standout at Northern High and he attended Arizona State University, where he played football for Dan Devine. Bryant worked 31 years at the CPC Flint Engine Plant, retiring as a general foreman. He is the co owner, along with his brother, Earl, of Bryant’s Barber Shop on Clio Road. Bryant’s simple concern for people has made him a respected member of the community.
“I believe in helping people, my mother (Christalee) was the same way. When we were kids a lady in our neighborhood had been beaten by her husband,” he said. “She left him and came to live with us. Mom put my brother Bunyan out of his bedroom and put her in there. She always came to other people’s rescue.
“Sports are the common denominator in this city when it comes to bringing people together,” he added. “I’ve witnessed that, I’m a product of that, and I know what it will do when people work together.”Learning to work together is the one thing city hall has to learn how to do. If you learn how to work together and respect others and carry yourself with respect, you get the same in return. “
Bryant, born in Little Rock, Ark., and his wife, Kay, have been married 48 years. They have four daughters, Susan, Sherri, Stephanie and Simone, along with five grandchildren.
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