A new purple bench at Early High School’s Longhorn Stadium is honoring former band director Travis Bryant while showcasing the work of TSTC Brownwood welding students.
The bench is located near the concession stand on the home side of the stadium, where it was added during a school year that also brought upgraded turf and a new track. Bryant died Sept. 17, 2024.
A project that began with a local connection
Dr. Daniel Vera, Howard Payne University’s director of Career Services, contacted Jim Espinoza, TSTC Brownwood’s senior admissions advisor, about building a memorial bench. Espinoza then helped connect the project with local businesses and the TSTC welding program.
Ratliff Steel donated the steel. M&F Gauge Specialty Company and JW Johnson provided the paint and powder coating. TSTC Brownwood welding instructor Salvador Marquez designed the bench, and students Caleb Cook and Levi Cuellar completed the welding work.
The bench is purple, and its back support includes musical notes around the inscription: “Early High School Band Director In Memory of Thomas Bryant Where words Fail, Music Speaks.” The source identifies the late band director elsewhere as Travis Bryant, creating an inconsistency in the name presented in the article and on the bench.
Students applied classroom skills
Marquez said the project started with an idea and a search for a design that could be adapted for the memorial. He selected Cook and Cuellar, describing them as students with strong work ethic, personality and character who had been in the program since August 2025.
The project also gave the students an opportunity to use the technical calculations, blueprints, angles and cuts taught in the welding program. Espinoza said the work fit into the students’ final semester and gave them extra credit.
Cuellar is a Brownwood High School graduate, while Cook attended high school in Chillicothe. The students were in their third semester and had completed Certificate 1 before moving into Certificate 2, which includes more pipe welding, according to Espinoza.
Cuellar said he enjoyed making the bench and thought the powder coating looked good. TSTC said its welding curriculum is designed to help students continue toward either a certificate or an Associate of Applied Science degree in welding.
A tribute made through community support
The completed bench brings together contributions from Howard Payne, TSTC Brownwood, the welding students, their instructor and three local businesses. It now serves as a permanent feature near Early High School’s home-side concession stand and a visible tribute connected to the school’s band program.
More information about TSTC Brownwood and its welding program is available at TSTC.edu.