Posted by William Nunnelley on 2014-08-27
Dr. Roy S. Brigance of Mountain Brook, Ala., who served as chair of the Samford University sociology department for more than two decades, died Aug. 25. He was 87.

Roy-BriganceDr. Brigance joined Samford as department chair in 1970 and served until his retirement in 1992.

After serving in the U. S. Navy during World War II, Brigance earned a bachelor of arts degree from Mississippi College in 1948. He went on to earn a master of religious education degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from Mississippi State University.

Brigance was a founding member of the Alabama-Mississippi Sociological Association and served as its president in 1978. He was a member of Alpha Kappa Delta national sociology honor society.

He is survived by his wife, Louise; daughter, Dendy Clark; granddaughter Caroline Clark; sisters Mae Elizabeth Gill and Jane Holton; and brother, William.

Services for Brigance will be Thursday, Aug. 28, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where he was a member. The family suggested donations to St. Luke’s ministries in lieu of flowers.
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.