Page 58 - 2007 DT 12 Issues

In Memoriam: Jack was born in Chicago, Ill. and
John Francis Ryan, 1926-2007 graduated from the University of Il-
linois with a degree in journalism. He
married Mary Florice Allen, whom he
actus Jack Ryan was the kind lost to cancer in 1990.
of man you are lucky to meet After serving in the Army in
Cjust once in a lifetime—a WWII, Jack moved to New York City
gentle, gifted, wry, seemingly fragile where he began his professional career.
fellow who possessed all of the quali- He had several assignments there be-
ties you wish you fore becoming the
had. The many who editor of Family Yosemite, the Appalachian Trail,
attended his memo- Weekly Magazine the Ramapo Mountains, the Sierra
rial service at the and eventually re- Nevada and many others, sometimes
Red Rock Overlook tired from Medical alone, but usually with a hiking com-
on the evening of Economics Maga- panion. There is hardly a landscape
June 11, affirmed zine in 1995. Jack around Las Vegas that he hadn’t
his special place moved from his walked or climbed.
in their hearts and home in West Or- Several of Jack’s hiking buddies
how much he had ange, New Jersey told amusing tales of their adven-
touched their lives. and wasted no tures with the “trail boss.” One of
As the sun set on time in heading them related that not long ago, Jack
the Canyon he loved, west. He landed in and several of the group had gone to
friends, family, vol- Las Vegas, joined Yosemite to hike Half Dome. It was a
unteer associates, Friends of Red cloudy day with a low ceiling. As they
and even casual ac- Rock Canyon were dragging themselves up the trail
quaintances who and immediately by the chain hand-holds that line the
had merely been led resumed his life- route, their only view was of the steep,
by Jack on trails around Red Rock, long love affair with nature. bald face of the rock in front of them.
came to pay their last respects to him. During the memorial ceremony,
Jack’s daughter, Carmel Muccio, ac- Carmel shared some of the cards and
companied by son Ryan, spoke of his life letters she had received from friends,
as a loving, joyful and supportive father, colleagues and admirers of her father,
husband and grandfather who truly loved each one echoing the other in taking
life. He was their strength and they are the measure of the man.
his legacy. Carmel recalled that in his pro-
fessional life as a journalist, he
demanded as much from himself
as from those who worked with him
and for him. A written tribute from
a former colleague summarized the
character and integrity of this man he
continued to admire.
Jack never did anything half-
heartedly. He was determined to stand
at the top of every mountain worth
hiking. He had explored Yellowstone,

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