Bev Bryant makes her home in Cape Elizabeth, Maine surrounded by the open ocean where ships come in and out of Portland Harbor at the front of her home and white-tailed deer flourish in the back yard. Life in the "Cape" is considered laid back and relaxing and is therefore a beautiful place to write. Her family is very close and important to her. She has been married to her husband and best friend, Gordon, for 45 years, and has 3 children; Mark, the oldest, is an executive with Lucent Technologies and lives in Bath, England with his British wife and 2 children; Kimberly, her oldest daughter is a nuclear engineer and lives in Kittery, the oldest and southernmost town in Maine, with her three children; and Carrie, a second grade teacher living in South Paris, Maine with her husband, Henry and daughter. Bev graduated from Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine in 1957 and from the University of Maine in Orono with a B.S. in Education four years later. In 1970, she received her M. Ed. from the University of Maine in Farmington. She has taught at Traip Academy in Kittery, Lincoln Academy in Damariscotta, Bristol Elementary, and Livermore Falls High and Middle School in Maine, Tappan Zee High School in Orangeburg New York and Ponaganset High School in Gloucester, Rhode Island. She spent many years as a waterfront Director at various summer camps and was a Water Safety Instructor for the Red Cross. For 14 years she was a coach in sports which included tennis, basketball, volleyball, swimming, diving, softball, track and field, gymnastics, cross country with many of her teams and individuals winning state championships. For over twenty years she was a womens' gymnastics judge and traveled to many states across the country doing clinics and meets, including national collegiate championships and the international special olympics. She was a delegate to the first Underwater Society of America's National Symposium in Boston and spent many years as a scuba diver, taking part in experiments testing various equipment in the cold winters of Maine under ice 22" thick, which she describes as her most frightening experience. She is well known as the director and producer of 8 different dance productions, each involving over 100 in the cast, writing original scripts and choreographing over 150 individual dances. She has led a well-rounded and enjoyable life. She feels that she has been given a very special gift and it is her job to share and learn from others. For 16 years, Bev and her husband owned and managed 8 apartment houses with 51 units. In 1990, Bev was in a car accident on her way home from a gymnastics meet. She was hospitalized and spent 2 ½ years in rehabilitation and therapy. Since then, she has changed her vocation and become an advocate for people with disabilities, especially people who live with cognitive impairments. For 6 years she worked as a support counselor and educator at Bayside Neurorehabilitation Services, a day treatment center for people with brain injury in Portland, Maine. Since 1992 she has written the two books described on this website, and has had much poetry and 12 magazine articles published.Bev is an internationally known speaker and travels around the country doing conference keynotes, in-services, and workshops. She has received rave reviews at over 200 schools, organizations, hospitals, rehab centers and insurance companies for her inspirational and educational presentations. Bev is able through her public speaking to educate medical professionals to the survivor's perspective on what helps and what hurts in the healing process, while supporting families and survivors of brain injury. Because of her own personal experience, Bev believes deeply in the power of humor in healing. She has found that an optimistic approach to life, motivation and determination, a strong support system and a faith in a Higher Being are basic to regaining confidence and self-esteem after trauma. She has been successful in her own recovery because she accepts it, understands it and has conquered it. |