Longtime
Music Professor Remembered
Dr. John Gray Brawley, Jr., 64, a member of the
Erskine College faculty from 1960 to 1999, died after
an extended illness Sunday, Aug. 15, at his home in
Due West.
“Erskine College will not forget Dr. John
Brawley,” said Erskine President Dr. John L.
Carson. “He was not merely an accomplished music
professor. He was a faithful friend. His dry wit, his
ready smile, and his countless contributions to
church and community are his living legacy in the
hearts of those who knew him.”
Brawley was a well-known musician and college and
community leader who retired from his role as faculty
member and administrator at Erskine this spring as
the faculty member with the longest term of service.
Before his retirement Brawley was named the
Harriet Pressly Smith Caldwell Professor of Music.
“John Brawley was a backbone of integrity for
Erskine's faculty,” said former Erskine dean and
current faculty member Dr. James W. Gettys. “As
a young faculty member John provided leadership
supporting institutional compliance with the 1964
Civil Rights Act.
“He always stood for what he believed was
right,” Gettys said. “He spoke and wrote
with clarity and logic. John successfully combined
academics with administration for years, showing
administrators how one might perform an
administrative task excellently as he maintained an
academic perspective that set a standard for
all.”
Erskine Associate Professor of Music Dr. Matthew
Manwarren said Brawley was a pioneer in leading the
Erskine music department into the computer age.
“He was responsible for upgrading the
computer-assisted technology in the music
department,” Manwarren said. “As chair of
the music department, John was an expert at looking
into the future while keeping the right perspective
on the long-standing traditions at Erskine.
“He was probably one of the most
forward-thinking members of a very forward-thinking
faculty,” Manwarren said.
“He was first and foremost a servant of the
institution and the students of the institution. What
he gave to the students was enormous because of his
dedication to them. The attention and focus of his
energies was not primarily on being known outside,
but to giving to the institution here.”
Manwarren said Brawley was an example to all
Erskine professors.
“He was definitely concerned about what
students took from his classes and he was always
willing to spend whatever time was needed outside of
class to enable students to learn what they needed to
learn. He would spend a great deal of extra time
outside class with students one-on-one,”
Manwarren said. “There is definitely a legacy
that he is leaving to the department and he has
probably had more impact over a long period of time
than any other faculty member.”
Founder and director of the Erskine jazz band
“Pizzazz” and the musical ensemble
“Sinfonia,” Brawley always added a personal
touch by preparing programs for fine arts events as
well as program notes and posters for student
recitals.
Rising Erskine senior and member of the
award-winning Erskine Choraleers, Sarabeth Scott of
Lake Wales, Fla., said Brawley “came up with
original designs for publicity posters advertising
junior and senior recitals, using themes pertaining
to the personality of each performer.
“Dr. Brawley was loved by everybody, not just
students, but by his colleagues and people in the
community,” Scott said. “He did so much for
the college. He was a completely unassuming and
private person but he had dedicated his life to this
school.”
In addition to his work with generations of music
students in the classroom and as director of musical
ensembles, Brawley served the Due West Associate
Reformed Presbyterian Church as deacon, elder, Sunday
school teacher, and director of the Chancel Choir.
Brawley received the A.B. in Music Education and
English from Erskine in 1957. While a student at
Erskine, he was a member of Garnet Circle, the
Euphemian Literary Society, the Choraleers, the Arrow
staff, and the Student Government Association
Cabinet.
He earned the Master of Music degree at Indiana
University in 1959 and went on to earn the Ph.D. in
Music History and Literature from Yale University in
1968.
Brawley was married to Erskine alumna Edith
Beckett Mitchell in August 1958, and their two
children are Harriet Brawley Morton and John G.
Brawley III. Their first grandchild, Amarinthia Clara
Morton, was born July 27.
Brawley was the recipient of a National Endowment
for the Humanities grant, which he used to study in
Pakistan. He received the distinguished service award
from the Euphemian Literary Society. He was a member
of Bread for the World as well as several musical
organizations, including the International Horn
Society, the College Music Society, and the Anderson
Symphony Orchestra.
The Charleston Chamber Players, a trio of
principal-chair players in the Charleston Symphony
Orchestra, presented a concert in Brawley's honor at
Erskine Seminary on June 7.
Burial was at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Due West
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church cemetery, with
a memorial service following in the church. At the
memorial service, many current and former members of
the Erskine Choraleers joined the church choir in a
musical tribute to Brawley, reflecting the impact he
had on so many Erskine students over the years.
