Major General (Ret.) Alvin Bryant, M. was born in Goulds, Fla., on Feb. 27, 1937, to Claudia Mae Bryant and the late John Henry Ashley. In 1959, he graduated from Florida A&M University (FAMU) as the top academic Army ROTC scholar. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry. He would have a stellar career in the U.S. Army and retired in 1994, as a Major General.

He served in the Berlin Crisis, the Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm. His military awards include the Legion of Merit and several Meritorious Service medals. He later continued his education earning a Masters degree in zoology from Purdue University (1967) and a medical degree from Howard University (1970) under the mentorship of Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall. He was president and a life member of the FAMU National Alumni Association, the NAACP, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.