Harry D. Bryan was born in Sevier County, Tennessee where his GGG Grandfather had settled what is now known as Wears Valley in 1792 at the foot hills of the Great Smoky Mountains. As a youngster, Harry moved with his family to Virginia and later attended Virginia Tech, receiving his degree in Animal Science in 1965. After graduation, he worked for Southern States Co-op in Virginia before joining The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service in May 1966 as a 4-H Agent in Morgan County.  He completed his MS degree from UT in 1972 and transferred to Blount County in 1973. In 1976, he was promoted to Extension Agent and Leader in Knox County. The title was later changed to County Director and he served in that capacity until his retirement in 2003.

During the late seventies and early eighties, Bryan had a morning radio program on WIVK, in a very popular time slot with Claude Tomlinson, Lester, and Ole Man Shultz. Claude was a very talented radio personality and played all three parts, including himself, Lester and Ole Man Shultz. With the broad coverage of WIVK, Harry was able to assimilate agricultural information to listeners in five states.

With the creation of the internet, Harry found a new and very effective way to communicate with the citizens of Knox County. Knox County developed one of the first county extension web sites in the state and it was the most visited county web site when Harry retired in 2003. His email horse mailing list, the largest in the state, included a sizable number of equestrians who received correspondence via email; and in 2002,  twenty percent of the 150 Horse Short Course registrants registered off the web site. He was the first County Extension Agent in Tennessee to conduct a multiple county and multiple session Horse Short Course and the 2002 course was the 19th out of the last 20 years. Harry realized the future of agricultural marketing would be on the world wide web and created The Bryan Group upon retirement.

As county director of extension, he continuously encouraged staff to become the best they could become and assisted them with support in reaching their goals. The county extension program under Bryan's leadership received state and national awards through their programming efforts.

Harry Bryan has been a member of several professional development and community/civic organizations and has served in various capacities within each. Some of these include:
* Past President of the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Agents and Specialists
* Past President and Secretary/Treasurer of the Optimist Club of Knoxville
* Past Secretary/Treasurer Optimist International Tennessee District
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Past Chairman of the Board of the Cerebral Palsy Center for Handicapped Adults.
* Past President of FUTIAWA (Former University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Workers Association).

Honors and Recognition:

* The "Hicks Award of Excellence" from the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Agents and Specialists
* National Career Guidance Award presented by National Association of County Agricultural Agents.
* Recipient of the "Distinguished Service Award" from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents
* Recipient of the Meritorious Service Award from Epsilon Sigma Phi.
* Recognized as "Man of the Year in Agriculture" by the Agricultural Committee of the Greater Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.
* In 2002, the Knox County Cattlemen’s Association presented him with the "Friend of Cattlemen Award".
* After announcing his retirement in late 2002, Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale presented Harry a proclamation proclaiming December 16, 2002 "Harry Bryan Day" in Knox County.

Memberships

* Life member of Tennessee and National County Agents Associations (TAAA&S and NACAA)
* Former University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Workers Association
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Knoxville Chamber Agribusiness Committee
* Tennessee Cattlemen Association (Charter Member)
* Tennessee Sheep Producers
* Tennessee Farm Bureau
* Knox County Farm Bureau
* Optimist Club of Knoxville
* Central Baptist Church of Bearden