A True "Amicus" - Jim Ryan

Two weeks ago I attended the funeral of my friend, Jim Ryan. Along with many other roles in the Twin Cities community, Jim was the Chief Executive Officer of Ryan Companies, a former board member of Amicus and one of our long-time supporters.

Over the years I’ve learned that even the president of an organization called Amicus needs an “amicus” of her own occasionally and Jim was someone who both gave me the support I needed and gently held me accountable for taking proper care of Amicus and of myself.

I also remember Jim as key to one of the most memorable evenings I’ve experienced.
In 1989 we were interested in making Amicus’ work more visible to a local business group with great influence called the Young President’s Organization. In turn, the YPO and its Education Committee chair, Jim Ryan, was interested in developing a meaningful education program for its members.

Our then Board chair, Eddie Phillips, another of Amicus’ dearest friends and a member of YPO, introduced me to Jim. Jim, Eddie and I dreamed up an idea and brought it to Orv Pung, then Commissioner of the Department of Corrections. The DOC was interested in gaining advocates for progressive policies and as it turned out, Orv was willing to provide unprecedented access to its facilities.

Together we came up with the idea of having a YPO meeting on the grounds of Stillwater Correctional Facility. The corporate executives were given tours of the facility, guided by both corrections staff and inmates. Afterward, the Young Presidents, spouses, DOC staff and Amicus inmates alike all sat down to an extraordinary meal (especially by prison standards) on the grounds of the prison in an area landscaped by the inmates.

Jim told me about being blown away by an inmate gazing intently at the late summer sky. Jim asked him what he saw up there and the man replied that it was the moon and the stars – a sight he hadn’t seen in 10 years.

Before the day at Stillwater, YPO members were given a survey about prison and the death penalty, a hot issue at the time. Many members responded in favor of tough sentences and the death penalty, some joking that it ought to be given for driving too slowly in the left lane. After the event, the survey responses were somber. They were touched by the humanity of the people they met, their intelligence and their hope.

The meeting had changed minds and opened hearts. Many YPO members became contributors and supporters of Amicus’ work, some employing ex-offenders at their own companies.

But best of all, Jim became a good friend and brought his talents and passion to our board. I will always remember Jim as unassuming, generous and gently demanding of excellence. Jim embodied many of the values of Amicus and I mourn his loss.
I think that there were over 1200 people at Jim’s memorial service; the procession to the cemetery was led by employees of Ryan Companies driving their yellow construction vehicles in honor of their leader.

It was an amazing sight, and one of the final illustrations of how Jim Ryan showed that treating people with dignity and respect, whether they be corporate CEOs, company employees or inmates at a state penitentiary, is often met with love and respect in return.

We’ll miss you, Jim.