A Legacy of Faith and Generosity: Reita Hall Returns to the Hill

Never in her wildest dreams did Reita Hall imagine she’d find herself standing on “the hill” once again in 2025. It had been nearly 75 years since that first momentous day in August 1950, when a determined young woman from northern West Virginia stepped foot on the campus of Bryan College.

How did a country girl from Mannington, West Virginia, end up in Dayton, Tennessee, in the middle of the last century? Reita believes it was nothing short of God’s providence.

That summer, the Gospel Singers—a student quartet from Bryan College—were traveling to sing in churches across the region. One of the singers, June (Bell) Hay, was from West Virginia, and their journey brought them to Reita’s hometown, where they sang in her church. That visit planted a seed.

Soon after, Reita’s father and pastor drove her to Bryan College. The campus then consisted of just three buildings: the White Chapel, the Octagon, and a partially completed administration building, now known as Mercer Hall. Reita lived on the far south end of the second floor of that building, while the boys lived in the Octagon.

As she recently stood on campus in the spring of 2025, taking in the sights of a place that had grown and changed so much, Reita looked around and laughed, “Wow! I would never find my way around.”

When Reita came to Bryan, there were no scholarships available. “We were just a poor ole farm family,” she says. Her parents made enormous sacrifices so she could attend college. Reita worked in the dining hall and monitored a study hall for 50 cents an hour. When she started grading papers for a professor, she earned 75 cents an hour—every cent helping her pursue the education she treasured.

She graduated in 1954 and went on to impact countless lives through education, teaching 11 years at Ben Lippen School and 30 at McMinn County High School after first serving two years as assistant to the Dean of Women at Bryan. Education has always been close to Reita’s heart—and so has giving others the opportunity to learn and grow, no matter their background.

For the past 45 years, Reita has faithfully supported the Bryan Scholarship Fund. “I’m so glad that the Lord who supplies our needs has been good to me and has blessed me,” she told us. “And I want to be that blessing to other people. One of the things that’s dear to me is education, so I’m thankful the Lord has enabled me to contribute to Bryan and to the further education of young people. That’s my heart’s desire.”

Reita’s giving isn’t just financial—it’s deeply personal and profoundly transformational. Thanks to her generosity, and the support of others like her, students who may never have had the opportunity are receiving a Christ-centered education. They’re being equipped academically and spiritually, and they are going into the world as difference makers.

You can be a difference maker, too. More than 95% of Bryan students need financial aid to pursue their education. Every gift to the Bryan Scholarship Fund directly supports those students and their future.

Imagine the impact of a leader in government, business, or education who has been grounded in a biblical worldview—shaped at Bryan College. That’s the power of your support.

Would you join Reita in transforming lives? Would you make your best gift to the Bryan Scholarship Fund today?

P.S. An anonymous donor has generously pledged to match all donations up to $15,000—so your gift will have double the impact!