Joseph Alexander Brittain, 65, died July 21, 2006, at his home in midtown Atlanta after an 8-month battle with leukemia.

A teacher who was passionate about literature and the arts; a civil servant who was passionate about equal rights and equal opportunities; an outdoors man who loved hiking and exploring our country, particularly the Four Corners area in the West; and a passionate advocate for the environment, Joe wass also an athlete who continued to love football, basketball and soccer; and a music lover whose passion for country music was equaled by his love for string quartets.

Joe was born in 1940 and raised by Roanoke, Ala., where he was an outstanding high school student and all-state in both basketball and football. He earned a B.A. in English Literature from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., where he was also a valuable member of the football team. After receiving his M.A. at Northwestern University, Joe taught English Literature at Emory at Oxford.

During this time he met his future wife, Nancy Awbrey, a native of Dalton. After marrying in 1968, Joe and Nancy settled in Atlanta and restored an old house in Ansley Park which became their home for 37 years. Here they reared their two children: Ellie, born in 1970, and Michael, born in 1973.

In the late 1960s, Joe went to work for the U.S. Office of Equal Opportunity (O.E.O.) on civil rights and economic empowerment issues. For two years he was on loan to the Georgia Department of Human Resources, assisting with budgeting and planning. Moving to a position in the U.S. Regional Director's Office of Health, Education and Welfare (H.E.W.), Joe worked closely with governors' offices and human resources agencies in eight Southern states. One interesting assignment during this time was working on the Haitian refugee crisis in Miami. Joe's last job before retiring was in communications with the 3rd Army at Ft. MacPherson.

After retiring, Joe's passion for literature led him back to teaching at Perimeter College. He led a fight there for better wages and more privileges for part-time professors. Joe volunteered for several Democratic campaigns and with the homeless at Crossroads Atlanta.

Joe was a voracious, eclectic reader with an insatiable intellectual curiosity. In the last few years, his love and knowledge of poetry led him to teaching at Evening at Emory and the Emory Center for Continuing Education. His students were so enthusiastic that they asked him to continue leading a contemporary poetry group, which he did monthly up until his illness.

Joe was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. His four grandchildren were a source of great joy in his last years. Joe's devoted dog, Fang, led him daily to the neighborhood doggy club where Joe visited with neighbors while Fang ran and chased squirrels for sport.

Other interests included fishing, camping, gardening, cooking, repairing antiques for his wife's business, traveling, and helping to coach his son's soccer teams.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy, his daughter and son-in-law, Ellie and Eric Langsam and grandchildren, Emma and Andrew of Charleston, S.C.; son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Anna Brittain and twin grandsons, Austin and Miles of Atlanta; and his two brothers, Dr. James M. Brittain of Charlotte, N.C., and William H. Brittain of Montgomery, Ala., and his aunt Mary Frances Moore of Montgomery, Ala.; and many other relatives and friends.

The family would like to thank all the friends and family for their constant support and help. In addition, they would like to thank the nurses, techs, and in particular, Dr. Amelia Langston at Emory University Hospital and Clinic, for their loving concern and committment to healing.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, friends and family who are so inclined make a donation to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help fight this terrible disease or to The Louisiana Center for the Book to honor Joe's love of reading and help rebuild the libraries and collections in Louisiana. Send contributions to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 3715 Northside Parkway, Building 400, Suite 300, Atlanta, 30327, or The Louisiana Library Association, P.O. Box 2583, Baton Rouge, La.

The Cremation Society of the South, 770-420-5557.