Washington Adventist University Remembers Roy Branson, Founder of the University’s Center for Law and Public Policy

Takoma Park, MD (September 24, 2015) Washington Adventist University’s Center for Law and Public Policy recently hosted its 7th Annual Attorney Pre-Law Student dinner, and the event featured a special tribute to the center’s founder, Roy Branson, Ph.D. The 77-year-old former faculty member passed away from complications of cardiovascular disease on July 7.

This year’s dinner was held on September 13, and participants included 13 university students, two Takoma Academy students and eight guest attorneys. The annual event provides students an opportunity to meet with and hear from practicing attorneys.

Two former students, Scott Loughlin, Esq. and German Rodriguez, Esq., shared fond memories of Roy Branson, their former professor. They both concluded that, aside from their family members, Branson played an integral role in their journeys to law school.

A memorial service for Branson was held on Saturday, August 8 at the Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grand Terrace. A recording of the memorial service is available online at http://livestream.com/accounts/1176828/events/4254815.

Branson was a respected professor of political studies and Seventh-day Adventist history at Washington Adventist University from 1993 to 2008. He demonstrated a passion for social justice and a commitment to putting religion into practice, and pushed the church to be more involved in the social justice issues of the day through coordinated efforts like the “Voices in the Public Square” radio program. He was active in many of the committees on campus and contributed to the aesthetic aspects of life. During his years at Washington Adventist University, Branson was invited at least twice to the White House for Rose Garden receptions, where he met Bill and Hillary Clinton. He also testified before Congress on anti-tobacco legislation.

Branson founded Washington Adventist University’s Center for Law and Public policy to encourage young Seventh-day Adventists to enter the legal profession and engage in public policy issues. He was beloved and active on campus until July 2008, when he transferred to Loma Linda University in California.

The following are the memories of colleagues, former students, and friends of Roy Branson:

“The scholarly contributions of Dr. Roy Branson to Washington Adventist University continues to provide a solid foundation for the Department of History and Political Science. On behalf of the learning community at Washington Adventist University, may the God of love, peace and comfort be the support to his family.”

-Weymouth Spence, President

“Dr. Branson was a teacher-activist. He was passionate about political ideology and encouraging students to take a moral stand for important issues. He made use of WAU’s location and proximity to the nation’s capital as a part of his classes. He was bright, articulate, and an engaging professor at WAU (CUC).”

-Grant Leitma, Professor

“Dr. Branson, was more than a mentor to me, he was a sponsor to me. Sponsors do all the things that mentors do, but in a much more active way, they invest in you. They not only help you identify doors, but then they help you open those doors. He gave me so much when I was a student here; he sparked my interest in law.  He pushed me to think harder, to write more clearly and be more articulate.”

-Scott Loughlin, Esq., Alumus

“I remember when I heard the news a few months ago, a former classmate texted me and I had a rush of memories. It’s remarkable how many things you thought you forgot. But you realize that things at that time that seemed insignificant, you now see as an integral part of your journey, and Dr. Branson was just that, an integral part of my journey. For him it was just second nature. I wound up in Dr. Branson’s office seeking guidance and looking for someone who could point me in the right direction; he looked at me and proceeded to give me well progressed reasons why I should go to law school. He was able to organize his deep thoughts and communicate them in such a clear way that immediately grabbed my attention. I was surprised that he had spent so much time figuring me out and paying attention to me and was able to define my path for me so clearly.”

-German Rodriguez, Esq., Alumnus

“Roy Branson was one of my favorite professors and most influential educators I have ever had, despite the fact that he gave me the only “C” I have ever received. He taught us to take a stand against injustice, and that taking a stand meant more than words, but we had to get our hands dirty and work together to create change. That’s why he created the Center for Law and Public Policy, to train Adventist young adults to get involved in making the country and the world a better place.” 

-Ellie Barker, Alumna and Director for Alumni Relations

 

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Washington Adventist University is Montgomery County, Maryland’s only four-year private college. Part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education, Washington Adventist University has been educating college students since 1904 on a 19-acre campus in suburban Takoma Park, close to the nation’s capital. A total of 1,100 students of all faiths participate in the university’s eight graduate and 32 undergraduate programs. The 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington Adventist University among the best regional colleges in the north.

Media Contacts:
Angie Crews, 301-891-4134, acrews@wau.edu
Donna Bigler, 240-286-1169, dbigler@wau.edu