George Bryan Polivka was raised in the Chicago area, attended Bible college in Alabama, and ventured on to Europe, where he studied under Francis Schaeffer at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. He then returned to Alabama, where he enrolled at Birmingham-Southern College as an English major.
While still in school, Bryan married Jeri, his only sweetheart since high school and now his wife of more than 25 years. He also was offered a highly coveted internship at a local television station, which led him to his first career—as an award-winning television producer.
In 1986, Bryan won an Emmy for writing his documentary A Hard Road to Glory, which detailed the difficult path African-Americans traveled to achieve recognition through athletic success during times of racial prejudice and oppression.
Bryan and his family eventually moved to the Baltimore area, where he worked with Sylvan Learning Systems (now Laureate Education). In 2001 he was honored by the U.S. Distance Learning Association for the most significant achievement by an individual in corporate e-learning. He is currently responsible for developing and delivering new programs for Laureate’s online higher education division.
Bryan and Jeri live near Baltimore with their two children, Jake and Aime, where Bryan continues to work and write.
Be sure to visit his website at www.nearingvast.com.