Trustee’s generosity reflects passion for Mercyhurst By Deborah W. Morton
Catch up with an old friend, go for a walk, read a good book … those are things that Ellen Ryan does for herself. Attend a board meeting, host a meet ‘n greet, make a donation … those are things she does for others. “I try to do a little something for me, and a little something for someone else every day,” says the 1964 Mercyhurst University home economics alumna about her philosophy of life. “I’m a 15-year cancer survivor and that’s a way of living I adopted. We always need to think of others, but we have to take time for ourselves, too.” Ryan is one of Mercyhurst’s more prolifc donors and is a member of the university’s board of trustees. “Ellen Ryan is one of the most generous people I have ever known,” said Mercyhurst President Michael Victor. “Not only has her philanthropy footprint been large, but as a member of our board, she is generous with her time, energy and commitment to the future of our university. We are most grateful to have her.” Over the years, Ryan has given $1 million to the endowment, matched contributions given by her class members at their 40-year and 50- year reunions, given a matching gift following an alumni golf trip to Ireland in 2012, and been a major contributor to the university’s annual fund. She’s also hosted alumni and donor events. For 40 years, she lived in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, David. They raised two sons, Mark and Michael, who still live there, and they are grandparents to two boys and four girls. Nowadays, Ellen and David can be found at their winter home in Naples. They spend summers in a longtime favorite vacation spot, Walloon Lake in Petoskey, Michigan. The Ryans have a distinguished record of philanthropy. “We were brought up to be good stewards of time, talent and treasure, which, for me, is something the Sisters of
Mercy reinforced,” she said. “Then, during our 40 years in Columbus, we had access to so many beautiful facilities and opportunities, which, in many cases, were available because of someone’s generosity.” Ryan said she and David gifted what they could early in their marriage, but their giving scaled substantially after they sold their company, Rimrock Corp., in 1999. “At that point, we sat down and made a list of all the places in the Columbus area that were important to us and could use our support; we focused on church, health care, the arts and education,” she said. It doesn’t take long to fnd evidence of their philanthropy in Buckeye country, from the Ellen and David J. Ryan Pavilion at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center to the Ellen and David Ryan Lobby at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts. “When we made the list, I knew I wanted to do something for Mercyhurst,” she said. “The friends I made and the education I got there were wonderful. I wanted to make sure others could have the same experience.”
teach. She has fond memories, especially of a baby girl from St. Joseph Orphanage whom she and fve classmates raised for six weeks while living together in the Home Economics Practice House on campus. “We all took turns taking care of the baby, and doing laundry, shopping, cooking,” Ryan said. “We had a lot of laughs. I often wonder about that baby; she’d be in her early 50s now.” There were some sad moments, too. It was during that same practicum that Ryan walked into the home-ec house on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, to witness the assassination of President John F. Kennedy being described on television.
“None of us will ever forget that,” she said.
Looking back, Ryan believes her liberal arts experience served her well. She taught for a year, served as vice president of a property management frm for 14 years, and volunteered often, but it was more her ability to transfer skills from one stage of life to another, be they organizational or philosophical in nature. “Mercyhurst gave much to me,” she said. “I’m happy to give back.”
Indeed, Ryan fourished as a home economics major on the Erie campus, later going on to
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