Friday, November 13, 2020
I have many fond memories of Dr Ryan.He was my ornithology instructor. I remember 6am bird walks starting on April 1st (It was not an April Fools joke). I also remember his long stride and trying to keep up with him as we looked/listened for birds. I believe it was that stride that helped him survive the war. He once asked why God would rob him of most of his hearing (a result of the war) since he often needed to hear the birds to identify them. Fortunately, he had us students to lend our ears to hear the birds. I also remember a day the class was loaded into the van to go birding and he spotted a fresh grouse roadkill that he scoop up for his lovely wife to prepare for dinner .Dr Ryan’s love of birds was contagious and contributed to my love of ornithology. After graduating from William Smith, I worked at Cornell’s Laboratory of Natural Sounds located in the Ornithology Lab. One day Dr Ryan stopped by with his class to see me...I was honored to show him and the class where I worked. Today, I work in health care but still enjoy bird watching, and I try to live by his motto of having a laugh a day.
It is my hope that these memories provide you with your “ laugh for the day” and give you comfort in knowing that Dr Ryan had such a positive influence on so many students.
With deepest sympathy,
Anne Donnelly Triller ‘83
