Spring 2026 - A particular date on the calendar occupies a special place in Stanford Brantley's heart. It's February 3-the day when, now more than eight decades ago, his sister and Baylor University nursing graduate Hattie R. Brantley was freed from a prisoner of war camp in the Philippines in which she had spent almost three harrowing years.

Today, at age 96, Stan lives in the same area where he and his sister grew up on a farm outside the East Texas town of Jefferson. "I was the youngest of seven children in our family, and my sister H.R. was third in line. Even though she was away at school in Dallas when I was young, studying to be a nurse, we always had a great relationship," he said. "We talked a lot, and she gave me lots of good advice."

A desire to see more of the world led H.R., as she was known by family and friends, to study nursing at Baylor. After graduating in 1937, she promptly joined the U.S. Army as a nurse so she could see the world. During World War II, she was stationed on Corregidor when the Japanese overtook the small island on May 6, 1942. Two months later, Brantley and 77 other nurses - the largest group of American women to be taken captive by an enemy during the war - were moved to prisons in and around Manila.

RESOLUTE SERVICE

As a POW, Brantley and her fellow nurses helped care for more than 4,000 other prisoners, earning them the nickname "Angels of Bataan." Malaria and dengue fever often proved fatal to her American compatriots. After being freed on February 3, 1945, and returning to the U.S., Brantley and the other Army nurses were awarded the Bronze Star for valor and a Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism in action. In 1988, she also received the Prisoner of War Medal, which recognizes military personnel who served honorably while being held as prisoners of war during armed conflict.

H.R. Brantley retired from the military in 1969 with the rank of lieutenant colonel, having completed 28 years of service. In 2003, she was honored as "Outstanding East Texas Nurse" in commemoration of National Nurses Week. She died in 2006 in her hometown of Jefferson.

Stan said he always admired his sister for her ambition and compassion. "She was really dedicated, and all through her nursing career she sought to help those who needed it no matter the circumstances," he said.

After studying for two years at what would become the University of Texas at Arlington, Stan joined his sister as a member of the U.S. Army. "I received notice to report to my draft board in Linden, Texas, on January 22, 1951," he said.

"Upon arrival, all others that had been told to report were placed on a bus to Shreveport, Louisiana. In the basement of the federal court house, we were sworn into service of the U.S. Army. That night we were all placed on a train to Camp Chaffee in Arkansas to begin our basic training." Like H.R., Stan eventually rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel.

Stan married Mary Jo Riggs in 1952, and the couple spent his twenty-plus-year military career in locations that included Japan, Germany, and numerous states before he retired in 1971. After returning to his hometown of Jefferson, Stan and Mary Jo were involved with both the East Texas Beekeepers Association and the Ark-La-Tex Beekeepers Association, traveling to fairs and festivals where they would sell their honey. Mary Jo passed away in December 2011. Stan continues to raise bees and serves as a board member on the Louisiana Beekeepers Association.

LEAVING A LEGACY

Though he never attended Baylor, Stan said he was "lucky enough" to be named a Baylor Alumni by Choice a few years ago. He also has sought to honor his sister's legacy by financially supporting Baylor's mission in several ways.

One such measure has been establishing the Lt. Col. (Ret.) Stanford S. and Mary Jo Brantley Endowed Scholarship Fund in Nursing in 2020. Another has been to make a provision in his estate plan that will build upon his sister H.R.'s own philanthropy.

In 1986, H.R. established the Bledsoe- Brantley Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund to honor her college roommate Mary Cecile Bledsoe Hewlett (BSN '37). Stan said he is pleased to be able to enhance, through his planned gift, the funds that are available to nursing students through the Bledsoe-Brantley scholarship.

"I want to celebrate the experience my sister and her friend had at Baylor's nursing school, and I want to help students in the future have that same kind of experience as they prepare for their careers," he said. "Nursing is a really important way to serve other people. I hope my gift will help those who love the Lord and are eager to learn and serve others."