On the shoulders of a giant

By Dr. Steven Frye, professor and chair, department of theatre, and director of Spring Sing

“We are dwarfs perched on the shoulders of giants. We see more and farther than our predecessors, not because we have keener vision or greater height, but because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature.” — Bernard of Chartres

John H. Ryan was a giant. To be sure, he was a tall and formal man with a beautiful, resonant voice. He was, without doubt, a perfectionist both in the classroom and in the recording studio. I am confident he is pleased that there are no vocalized pauses in heaven. But those are not the attributes that made him a giant. Dr. Ryan was a giant because he was a gentleman in a world filled with change. His kindness, compassion and genuine concern for others was a quiet, consistent thread throughout his career and personal life. He cared, and he shared with others. A favorite memory of mine is when we moved to Searcy. As we pulled the moving van into our new driveway, standing there at the front door ready to help us unload was Dr. Ryan. In a city in which we had never lived, at a university we did not attend, and a place where we had no real connection, he was the welcoming voice. He became Uncle Jack that day to our family. May we all be perched on such giant shoulders of service.

When Dr. Ryan was asked to serve as chair of the department of communication, I was privileged to be the first faculty member he hired. I still remember the phone call and his sage advice that day, “You are my first hire. Don’t mess it up.” Then came the laugh: a quick, sharp, joyful sound so full of life and love. It was my joy to hear that laugh every day at work and every night during Spring Sing performances. He was a master storyteller. His ability to time a pause or deliver a phrase was a studied gift. May we all be lifted up onto shoulders bouncing with laughter.

Dr. Ryan mentored me as a young professor. He challenged me to be less adamant about things and to be more diplomatic in solving problems. He taught me to listen with an open mind and to look for solutions rather than confrontation. He practiced what he preached with hundreds of faculty and staff members and thousands of students. Harding University was blessed to have Dr. Ryan on this campus, and I pray that his legacy lives on in each of us. He served Harding in a distinguished teaching career spanning 44 years. He also served as producer for Spring Sing for the first 34 years of the production, and for six years he was chair of the department of communication. May we all be borne aloft to new heights on the shoulders of such giants.

Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” He is not the only one to say it or to live it. We now join that chorus. Thank you, Dr. Ryan. Rest from your labors. Standing on such giant shoulders, we see the new horizons.

John H. “Jack” Ryan (’59), 87, of Searcy died March 12, 2018. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a court reporter before his 44-year teaching career at Harding. He played piano from memory and was a master communicator. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Hayes (’61); two children, Julie Litchfield (’92) and Kevin; and two grandchildren.