{"id":283208,"date":"2026-05-25T01:14:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T01:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/283208\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T01:14:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T01:14:33","slug":"famu-family-colleagues-celebrate-the-life-of-castell-vaughn-bryant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/283208\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU, family, colleagues celebrate the life of Castell Vaughn Bryant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Family,\u00a0friends\u00a0and former colleagues of\u00a0Florida A&M University\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0former interim President\u00a0Castell Vaughn Bryant<\/a>\u00a0gathered under a somber circumstance May 21 as they celebrated the\u00a0education leader\u2019s\u00a0life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While bidding Bryant a final farewell during a\u00a0funeral service<\/a>\u00a0in the Lee Hall auditorium on FAMU\u2019s campus, those who fondly knew her from an education standpoint and all other\u00a0walks of life\u00a0shared in gratitude the impact of her trailblazing leadership \u2013 including her daughter Kathi Vaughn-Malpress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vaughn-Malpress\u00a0\u2013 who was\u00a0raised by her grandparents during most of her childhood while Bryant was in college\u00a0and pursued her career\u00a0\u2013\u00a0explained that she had to share her mother with colleagues and friends in the higher education realm. At the same time, she understood the visionary\u2019s calling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not until this last leg that I got to be able to spend the time with my mother that I always wanted,\u201d Vaughn-Malpress\u00a0told a crowd of about 150 attendees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She was Bryant’s caregiver before the Jasper native and FAMU\u00a0alumna died on May 2 at the age of 88 in Jacksonville due to undisclosed health issues.\u00a0Among Bryant\u2019s list of former roles in education, she\u00a0was the first woman in FAMU history to take on the interim president role at the university.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I become upset that she had given her better years to everybody else?\u00a0Yeah,” Vaughn-Malpress said. “But she also explained to me so many things, and I understand that it was sacrificial living for both of us, as she said.\u00a0I sacrificed her, and she sacrificed me, and you all were the winners.\u00a0But in the ultimate, so am I \u2013 because\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0still my mama, and\u00a0she\u2019ll\u00a0always be my mama. Nothing will change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A funeral service in FAMU former interim President Castell Vaughn Bryant’s honor is held May 21, 2026 in the Lee Hall auditorium on FAMU’s campus.<\/p>\n

More: FAMU’s first female interim president Castell Vaughn Bryant dies at 88<\/a><\/p>\n

While Bryant’s career included being an elementary school teacher, working in various positions at FAMU and serving as president of three\u00a0Miami-Dade College\u00a0campuses, she came out of retirement to become interim president of FAMU from 2005 to 2007. She was also interim president of Florida Memorial University during two separate terms in 1989 and 2017.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe dropped the ladder down for so many, including me,\u201d current MDC\u00a0President Madeline Pumariega \u2013 who is the first woman to serve as\u00a0the college\u2019s\u00a0leader \u2013 said while sharing remarks at the\u00a0funeral.\u00a0\u201cCastell made a difference. Castell changed lives. Castell made this world a better world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Miami-Dade<\/p>\n

Miami-Dade College President Madeline Pumariega speaks during a funeral service in FAMU former interim President Castell Vaughn Bryant’s honor that is held May 21, 2026 in the Lee Hall auditorium on FAMU’s campus.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0quiet remembrance of Bryant during the service was mixed with powerful gospel tunes that resounded throughout the auditorium as attendees stood and lifted their hands while singing along.<\/p>\n

Besides\u00a0Pumariega, speakers included\u00a0FAMU President\u00a0Marva Johnson<\/a> and Florida Memorial University president William\u00a0McCormick. Former FAMU presidents\u00a0Larry Robinson<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Fred Gainous as well as the university’s former interim president Henry Lewis III attended the funeral.<\/p>\n

Past and current officials who spoke included former U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, Leon County Commissioner Bill\u00a0Proctor \u2212 who is also a political science instructor at FAMU \u2212 and\u00a0City Commissioner\u00a0Dianne Williams-Cox, who read a Tallahassee resolution that was\u00a0created in Bryant\u2019s honor. Additional\u00a0resolutions were\u00a0established\u00a0by FAMU, Florida Memorial University and Tallahassee\u2019s Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Given Bryant\u2019s impact on higher education,\u00a0H. Leigh Toney\u00a0\u2013 a former MDC colleague of Bryant\u2019s \u2013\u00a0referred to the Thursday funeral service as \u201cCastell\u2019s final commencement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just occurred to me this morning that it\u2019s graduation season,\u201d\u00a0Toney said, \u201cand here we are gathered together to celebrate the life of Castell Bryant \u2013 perfect timing for someone who was both an academic, a lifelong learner and a strategist,\u00a0which gives her transition just the right amount of pomp and circumstance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network \u2013 Florida. She can be reached at\u00a0tjean@tallahassee.com<\/a>. Follow her on X:\u00a0@tarahjean_<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU, family, colleagues remember Castell Vaughn Bryant during funeral<\/a><\/p>\n