Ethiopian Review

Bryan Glass, a longtime professor and director of the Oklahoma State University Museum, later known as the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, died Aug. 27 in Perkins. He was 91.

As a zoology professor, Glass is well known for his work in Ethiopia.

Glass was raised in China. His parents were Baptist missionaries. He earned his doctorate from Oklahoma A&M, now Oklahoma State University, where he taught for nearly 40 years before he retired in 1985.

During World War II, Glass was a captain in the Army Air Force. He also served as an intelligence officer with the 14th Air Force and Office of Strategic Services, a forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency.

Glass is known for his work in Ethiopia, where he helped establish an agricultural college in the 1950s and cataloged an Ethiopian mammal collection that today is part of OSU’s Collection of Vertebrates. His bat research was featured in an Army training film. During his time at OSU, Glass worked to develop global relationships and a diverse collection, colleagues said. Jim Shaw, a professor of wildlife ecology, was friends with Glass for many years. He said Glass was an exceptional teacher.

“The students were just in awe of him, like no other faculty member I’ve ever known,” Shaw said.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at University Heights Baptist Church, 323 S Knoblock St. in Stillwater.

– NewsOK