Aubrey Bryan with his prized possession, a 1965 Gibson J-45 guitar, the same type used by Elvis Presley. Bryan purchased his in 1967 from a San Antonio music store. It’s still in good condition. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio
Math teacher, refinery lab tech, insurance agent, Christian missionary, campaign worker, relay marathon team organizer, church music composer, local Republican Party precinct chair. Aubrey Bryan’s life story reads like chapters in a history book about Corpus Christi from circa 1940s to present.
Currently, Bryan, 73, owns Aubrey E. Bryan Insurance Agency, which is independently contracted as a Farmers agent. He grew up in Corpus Christi and loves to reminisce about the days he and his older brother, Don, would wade into a pond at Cole Park to go fishing. They wore their shoes to protect them from the rocks, crabs and stingrays.
“This was before the jetties were put in place,” Bryan said.
His parents worked for Southern Alkali Chemical, which changed names and hands several times over the years.
“My father, Paul Bryan, worked there as a machinist and later relocated to the Corpus Christi Army Depot, where he retired,” Bryan said. “My mother, Bessie Bryan, was a quantitative lab analyst, and finally retired after 40 years from American Chrome Chemical.”
After graduating high school in 1961, Bryan tried to follow in his parents’ footsteps by taking pre-engineering classes at Del Mar College. While he didn’t get a career out of Del Mar, he did meet the love of his life, Miss Ada Beatrice “Bea” Knox, who attended Durham’s Business School. They were wed in 1962 at Norton Street Church of Christ.
Bryan moved on to Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos in 1963, graduating in 1966 with a Bachelor of Education in math and chemistry. A few years later, he returned to Del Mar College for music lessons.
He taught junior high math for several years before taking a job at Suntide Refinery. He and Bea had moved seven times in seven years and decided to buy their first home. That was destroyed by fire Nov. 1, 1969. Less than a year later, their new home was damaged by Hurricane Celia.
“Imagine: two major home losses within one year,” he said. “This was the real underlying cause of my desire to become an insurance agent.”
He became a licensed agent in 1975. His parents purchased the property at 10308 Leopard St., where the agency is now located, at about the same time.
“Together, we designed and constructed the Bryan Building,” he said. “For the first 10 years, my father and I operated our interviews with our clientele from this same location.”
Bryan got involved in the annual Beach-to-Bay Relay Marathon in the 1980s. He organized marathon teams with fellow insurance agents called the Fighting FIGs (Farmers Insurance Group).
“Back then, I felt like I was an ‘Incredible Hulk’ and was actually running 10 to 15 miles early mornings or early evenings, trying to avoid oncoming cars,” he said. “I felt really invincible back then. Now, at 73, I’m a bit more cautious.”
With four decades of experience in his profession, Bryan has witnessed the ebbs and flows of the insurance industry.
“Back then in the ’70s and early ’80s, all you needed to calculate insurance quotes were the insurance rate book, a notepad and a pen or pencil,” he said. “That all changed with the coming of the computer age.”
Bryan was among the first agents in the area to be issued a formal IBM desktop computer for his business. He and his wife have operated the business through a continuing series of technology upgrades, always keeping up with the latest.
While not working at his insurance business, Bryan divides his time between church missionary trips or helping the local Republican Party. He’s also in a band, which performs weekly.
As a missionary, he shares his faith with other communities and cultures around the world.
“I believe that more people would benefit from taking the time to read their Bible,” Bryan said.
As for his role in the Republican Party, Bryan currently works at the Nueces County Precinct 101 polling location. He regularly attends meetings at both the Nueces County Republican Club and the Corpus Christi Patriots Tea Party. Once every two years, he attends the Texas Republican State Convention.
“I’ve been volunteering with [Republicans] since 1999, or what I call the ‘Florida Chad’ years,” Bryan said. “I may not go door to door block walking, due to my age and health condition, but when it’s time to vote, my team and I will put in 14-hour days at the booths. We are there to help the people vote regardless of their beliefs.”
Bryan composes music and has written several songs. He occasionally leads the singing for congregational worship and performs live for non-church activities such as at Corpus Christi Northwest Villa Assisted Living Center. For several years, he has played guitar for a three-man group called the Key of C Band that performs 6:30-8:15 p.m. Tuesdays at the center.
“We play not only Christian songs but also oldies music,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun, and the residents enjoy it,” Bryan said.
His prize possession is a 1965 Gibson J-45 guitar — the same type that Elvis Presley used.
Regardless of his variety of occupations and his extracurricular activities, Bryan believes there is more to life than people’s jobs or hobbies.
“Whether we’re teachers or chemists or insurance agents or astronauts, for me, the most important thing we can do today is not just to succeed in life but, rather, to find that place the Bible calls ‘heaven.’”
Aubrey E. Bryan Insurance Agency is independently contracted to sell for the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies as well as other carriers. The agency is located at 10308 Leopard St. in Corpus Christi. Contact (361) 241-7636 or aubreybryanins@stx.rr.com.
