Scholarship
honors alumnus
By Carolyn Gonzales
Kevin Ryan, a presidential scholar and a 1984 graduate of the
UNM School of Architecture and Planning, died of AIDS in 1991.
His family established the Kevin Ryan Endowed Scholarship in
his honor. The scholarship also honors his mother, Marian, who
died following a long battle with cancer in 2001.
Prior to his illness, Ryan was an architect in Austin and Seattle.
Julie Stewart is the current scholarship recipient,
said Robin Ryan, UNM associate director of Admissions and Kevins
sister (see Spotlight above). The idea was to have the recipient
come from Silver City, and Stewart does.
Before she died, my mom got to meet Julie and her parents,
Ryan said.
Andy Pressman, director of the architecture program in the UNM
School of Architecture and Planning, said, These kinds
of endowments are meaningful on multiple dimensions. In this
case, the Ryan scholarship made the difference for a student
from an underrepresented area not only to attend the architecture
program, but also perform with great success.
Moreover, the scholarship is a permanent recognition of
someones life and the significance of the architecture
program in enriching it. The Ryan scholarship is indeed a model
for others to emulate.
Roger Schluntz, dean of the School, said, The School of
Architecture and Planning is small enough that we develop strong
ties to nearly all our students. We are pleased to be
able to honor Kevin Ryan, one of our graduates, with an endowed
scholarship and keep his memory with us, while also helping
a deserving and very appreciative student. The Kevin Ryan
Endowed Scholarship has been supplemented with contributions
following the death of Kevins mother, Marian Ryan, in
2001. The familys splendid generosity is far reaching
and deeply appreciated.