The plaque reads:
Birch Bryant
8/7/47- 11/8/04
A friend of downtown.
Member of Uncle Dave Macon Days. 1978-2004
Top Ad Salesman for 15 years
The Passing of Birch Bryant
Tall and lanky, usually adorned with a scruffy beard, a ball cap, and a fetching smile that he freely shared with everyone, Birch Bryant was a well-known fixture around the public square in Murfreesboro. Not many days went by that Birch didn’t walk the sidewalks that border the county’s historic court-house, visiting and waving to anyone who had a few minutes to share. It didn’t matter if you washed windows or were the county executive, Birch counted you as his friend.
Those of us fortunate enough to be touched by his life were shocked and saddened when he died suddenly at home in early November, following heart surgery.
It is probably safe to say that many people who love old-time music and have attended Uncle Dave Macon Days have little idea about the important role that Birch played in the continued success of this event. For almost half of his 57 years, he was a faithful and effervescent member of the volunteer committee that runs the festival.
In earlier times, when Uncle Dave Days was a one-afternoon banjo contest on the court-house lawn, Birch was recruited into service by the founder of the festival, the late Jessie Messick, a pharmacist on the square. With a grin as wide as Texas, Birch could be seen picking up trash after the event. That was long before the festival had a big enough budget to hire people for that task.
As the event grew into a nationally recognized three-day old-time music festival, the organizing committee took on the task of selling program ads to raise more operating funds. Different groups would take on the project for a percentage of the sales, but one individual was willing to take it on simply because he wanted to. That person was Birch.
Gloria Wilson, the current festival chairman, remembers that some committee members resisted the idea of giving Birch this task. You see, Birch didn’t drive, and he was a mentally challenged adult. Many of us would have considered either of those obstacles a good reason not to give him the job, but Birch became the best public relations representative any festival could have. He told everyone he met about Uncle Dave Macon Days and who the grand marshal would be. More times than not, he ended up with another program ad.
Birch became concerned when the county cut some of their financial support for last summer’s festival. He decided to sell enough advertising to make up the difference. With the determination of a mule and the energy of a box full of new puppies, he faithfully pounded the payment and single handedly sold more than $3000 worth of advertising for the 2004 program.
Birch also loved to play Santa, was a huge Titans fan, and dearly loved his gentle wife, Pat. As hard as you might try, you could never get him to speak a critical word about anyone.
During the visitation at the funeral, plenty of people swapped ‘Birch Stories.’ One story that made the rounds went back to the days when the late entertainer Carl Tipton was actively performing on Nashville television and hosting live shows in Murfreesboro. On the day that Flatt and Scruggs drove to Rutherford County to be on stage, unknown to Tipton, Birch met the duo at their bus door and told them he was Carl’s manager.
A framed letter from the Tennessee Titans, recognizing Birch at his death, was displayed near his casket. Flowers from a Tennessee senator in Washington, DC, and many local businesses stood nearby. The county executive, a state senator, a city councilman, and a county judge joined with the room full of everyday folks to tell their friend goodbye.
And, somewhere in the mix of memories and mourning, there seemed to be a lesson to us all. Birch, in his simple manner, naturally brought out the best in all of us. He taught us that everyone, when given the opportunity, has something to bring to the table and that we should never stop believing that we can touch the stars.
~Patsy Weiler
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