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Irene E. Ryan

American aviator, engineer, geologist, government official, politician

Summary

American aviator, engineer, geologist, government official, politician

Field	Value
name	Irene E. Ryan
image	Irene E. Ryan.jpg
caption	Irene Ryan in 1973
birth_name	Irene Esther Irvine
birth_date
birth_place	Boston, Massachusetts, US
death_date
death_place	Anchorage, Alaska, US
resting_place	Angelus Memorial Park
restingplacecoordinates
education	B.S. in Geology
alma_mater	New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
known_for	Geologist, politician
party	Democratic
spouse	John Edward "Pat" Ryan
children	2
relations	George Sharrock (in-law)

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Irene Esther Ryan (née Irvine; September 10, 1909 – November 23, 1997) was an American geologist, aviator, and legislator during Alaska's history as both a United States territory and as a U.S. state. She was a member of the Alaska Territorial House of Representatives and of the Alaska State Senate. She was instrumental in the creation of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which helped insure state revenue from oil and gas exploration carried out by outside entities.

Ryan was involved with the creation of the Anchorage International Airport. She was the first female pilot to solo in the Territory of Alaska, and the first woman to earn a geology degree from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2011.

Background and early life

Irene Esther Irvine was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 10, 1909. Her parents were Leonard Laukki Irvine and Esther Neiminen Irvine. While working in Texas, she heard stories about Alaska from an aviator uncle based in the territory. Aged 21, she relocated to Anchorage. She began flying lessons at Merrill Field east of Anchorage.

On June 23, 1932, she was certified as the first female aviator in the territory to solo. She briefly left Alaska to study at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology, the first woman to do so at that institution. On February 19, 1938, she married fellow student John Edward "Pat" Ryan. In February 1941, she gave birth to their first child Marcella. A month later, the couple relocated back to Alaska, where the couple's other daughter Patricia was born.

Career

Ryan's civilian career was largely as a consultant to Alaskan industries tied to her field of expertise. She was involved with development of the oil and gas exploration in the state, and the Skagway to Fairbanks pipeline. Ryan was responsible for the design of seventeen airports in Alaska, including Anchorage International Airport. In 1952, she invested her money in a housing project in Anchorage.

In 1955, Ryan was elected to the Alaska Territorial House of Representatives. In 1959, she became a member of the Alaska State Senate. It was during her years in the legislature when Ryan used her educational and professional background to benefit the welfare of her state. She used her influence to get the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission created in 1955, insuring the state's revenues from oil and gas exploration by outside entities. Governor William Allen Egan appointed Ryan as commissioner of the Department of Economic Development for the state of Alaska during his second term.

Death and legacy

Irene E. Ryan died on November 23, 1997, aged 88, and was buried at Angelus Memorial Park in Anchorage. In 2011, she was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.

References

(November 28, 1997). "Pioneering Pilot Dies in Alaska". The Bellingham Herald.
Sumner, Sandi. (2005). "Women Pilots of Alaska: 37 Interviews and Profiles". McFarland.
Tower, Elizabeth A.. (1999). "Anchorage : From Its Humble Origins as a Railroad Construction Camp". Epicenter Press.
"Guide to the Irene E. and John E. "Pat" Ryan Papers 1930–1997". Northwest Digital Archives.
(November 10, 1952). "Alaska's Big Town".
(January 26, 1959). "Twenty Legislators Sit in Upper House at Juneau: Irene E. Ryan". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
"Irene Ryan". AWHF.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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