John Martin Bradley

John M. Bradley, 64, died recently in a Chattanooga hospital. He was a native of Sparta, TN and a resident of Cleveland for the past 43 years. A graduate of White County High School, he received his Bachelors degree from MTSU and his Masters degree from Ohio University. He was retired after 35 years of service at Cleveland State Community College. During these years he had two sabbatical leaves, one year to NYC and one year at UTK where he worked on his PhD. He was granted Emeritus status at CSCC in 2005. His parents, Charlie and Juanita Bradley, preceded him in death. He is survived by his brother, Eston Lee Bradley and wife, Carol of Birmingham, AL; his nephew, John Michael Bradley and fiancée, Rachel Church of Tuscaloosa, AL; his aunt, Jean Sims of Sparta; several cousins; and Perry Skates and Suzanne Allen of Cleveland, their families and extended families and a multitude of close friends. During his life he directed and acted in numerous plays and productions. He both performed and directed for the Cleveland Creative Arts Guild. The Knights of Columbus Players, The Ocoee Players and many productions at CSCC, as well as MTSU and UTK. He performed in one off-Broadway show while in NYC. He wrote the play Cry of the Owl, which was adapted from Col. James F. Corn?s book. The production was presented at Red Clay Historical Site shortly after its dedication. In 1970 he chose the name for the annual Nillie Bipper Art Show for the Cleveland Creative Arts Guild. He served several years with the Tennessee State Arts Commission. He served several years on the board of directors for Nancy?s House. In 1995 John was brought on as the voice and character of ?Fallen Sky? for the Museum Center at 5points. Thus began many personal appearances as he served as the character who appeared in the video in the main exhibit, as well as the model for the outdoor icon flags and the etched glass panel in the lobby of the museum. In 1998 he was hired as Curator for the Museum Center and was responsible for assigning accession numbers to the ever-growing collection of artifacts and a lot of this was done long before the opening of the museum. He also did the major part in writing and researching descriptions for the artifacts. He was an avid reader and thanked God for his love of books, music, movies and the arts. A memorial service will be held Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the Museum Center at 5points, downtown Cleveland. A reception will follow the service. Memorials are requested to be made to the following: The Museum Center at 5points, 200 Inman St. E, Cleveland, TN 37311; Nancy?s House, 2250 Chambliss Ave. NW, Cleveland, TN 37311; Cleveland State Scholarship Fund, 3535 Adkisson Dr. NW, Cleveland, TN 37312.