Bruce Ryburn Payne

Bruce Ryburn Payne (1874-1937) was an American educator. He was the founding president of Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) from 1911 to 1937.

Bruce Ryburn Payne
Born	February 18, 1874 Catawba County, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	April 21, 1937 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Olivet Cemetery
Education	Patton School
Alma mater	Duke University Columbia University
Occupation	Educator
Known for	Founding President of Peabody College
Spouse(s)	Lula Carr
Children	1

Early life

Bruce Ryburn Payne was born on February 18, 1874 in Catawba County, North Carolina.[1][2] His father, Jordan Nathaniel Payne, was a Methodist minister and teacher.[1] His mother was Barbara Anne Eliza Warlick.[1]

Payne was educated at the Patton School in Morganton, North Carolina, graduating in 1892.[1][2] He graduated from Duke University in 1896.[1][2] He received a master's degree from Duke University in 1902 and a PhD from Columbia University in 1904.[1]

Career

Payne taught at the Morganton Academy from 1896 to 1899, when he became superintendent for the county.[2] He taught Latin and Greek at Durham High School in Durham, North Carolina, from 1899 to 1902.[2]

Payne taught philosophy at the College of William & Mary from 1904 to 1905.[1][2] He taught at the University of Virginia from 1905 to 1911.[1][2] While he was at UVA, he created the summer school.[2]

Payne served as the founding President of Peabody College in Nashville Tennessee from 1911 to 1937.[1] He raised funds for the construction of the buildings and hired the initial faculty.[1] He used the telephone to communicate with faculty and staff.[2]

Personal life

Payne married Lula Carr on December 7, 1897.[2] They had a son, Maxwell Carr Payne.[1]

Death and legacy

Payne died of a heart attack on April 21, 1937 in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] His funeral was conducted by Methodist Bishop Costen Jordan Harrell,[1] and he was buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery on April 23, 1937.[3] In 1957, Peabody College dedicated a building on the north end of its campus to Dr. Payne, now called Payne Hall. Decades later, in 1979, Peabody College was acquired by Vanderbilt University.

Bibliography

• The Ethical Standard and Its Educational Implications (1903).[4]
• Public Elementary School Curricula: A Comparative Study of Representative Cities of the United States, England, Germany and France. (New York: Silver, Burdett, 1905).[5]
• Common Words Commonly Misspelt (Richmond, Atlanta: B.F. Johnson Pub. Co., 1910).[6]
• Southern Prose and Poetry for Schools (with Edwin Mims; New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910).[7]
• Five Years of High School Progress in Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia, 1911).[8]
• The Payne-Garrison Speller (with Sidney Clarence Garrison; New York, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1931).[9]

References

1. Copeland, J. Isaac (January 1, 1994). "Payne, Bruce Ryburn". NCPedia.org. State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
2. Windrow, J. E. (May 1947). "Bruce Ryburn Payne (1911. April 21, 1937)". Peabody Journal of Education. 22 (5): 277–280. JSTOR 1489216.
3. "An Acquaintance of Yours: President Bruce Ryburn Payne". Peabody Journal of Education. 47 (6): 360. May 1970. JSTOR 1491726.
4. "The ethical standard and its educational implications". WorldCat. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
5. "Public elementary school curricula : a comparative study of representative cities of the United States, England, Germany and France". WorldCat. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
6. "Common words commonly misspelled". WorldCat. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
7. "Southern prose and poetry for schools". WorldCat. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
8. "Five years of high school progress in Virginia". WorldCat. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
9. "The Payne-Garrison speller". WorldCat. Retrieved September 24, 2015.