Samuel Raymond Bright Jr.

Samuel R. Bright, Jr., 82, of Winston-Salem, died June 24, 2011 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Dr. Bright was born in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on January 30, 1929 to Lillian and Sam Bright. After earning his B.A. at Allegheny College and M.Ed. at the University of Florida, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War for four years. After discharge from the Navy, he taught Junior High School in St. Petersburg, Florida for two years. He then earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in history at Duke University. He taught at Temple University, Southeast Missouri State University, Kansas State University and finished his teaching career at Davidson County Community college in 1994. He served for a year as president of the NC State chapter of AAUP as judge for Odyssey of the Mind competitions, as a member (chairman for one year) of the zoning and adjustment boards for the city of Lexington and was active in the Davidson County Democratic Party. He served as a member of the Contact Helpline for ten years and was a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society and Cancer Services of Davidson County. He began volunteering at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem in 2000, where he became known as the ""cookie man,"" helped build Habitat houses, and enjoyed mission trips with Centenary United Methodist Church where he was a member. His personal interests included travel, reading and classical music. He was an avid opera fan. His parents, Lillian and Sam Bright and his first wife, Elizabeth Hyde Bright and his sister, Joan B. Rundle, and his father-in - law, Jason T. Collie, Sr., preceded him in death. He is survived by his second wife, Joyce Collie Lindberg, his daughter, Sara Bright Vogelsang and husband Jake; his son, Samuel Hathorn Bright and wife, Cindy; his grandchildren, Maddie, Abby, Hannah and Tyler; his nieces, Sandra C. Jolly, Cindy C. Rohm, and Amanda C. Heinemann; his nephews, Mike, Tom, and Jim Rundle; and a host of family and friends.

Memorials:
memorials may be made to Centenary United Methodist Church, 646 West Fifth Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101; First Presbyterian Church, 13 West Third Ave., Lexington, NC 27292; cancer research at Wake Forst University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27103; or Davidson County Community College Foundation, PO Box 1287, Lexington, NC 27292.

Service:
. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 3:00 pm at Centenary United Methodist Church, West Fifth Street, Winston-Salem. The family will receive friends at a reception following the service in the church fellowship hall. Interment will be in the columbarium at First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, NC, in the fall.