Duane Ryan's family gathering memories to share

Most of us old enough to remember the first time humans set foot on the moon -- July 20, 1969 -- have a memory of that day. We know where we were, what we were doing.

Tamara Ryan Polich’s recollection has a special twist.

“We watched the moon landing in this house,” Polich told me Saturday, “on a television set that our dad built.”

Tamara and three of her siblings — Mike Ryan, Marla Ryan Chrisman, and John Ryan — were gathered in the Portales home they grew up in to share stories with me about their father, the late Duane Ryan.

Marla’s husband, Brad Chrisman, also joined us.

Duane Ryan --“Mr. Ryan” to legions of us -- died Thursday after almost a half century as director of broadcasting for KENW-TV/FM, the PBS/NPR affiliate located on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University in Portales.

Building his own television from a Heathkit set was par for the course for Ryan, a man with keen intelligence and a lifelong love of technology.

That passion never faded even as he came down with cancer well along in his 90th year of life, where he was still hard at work at the broadcast center on a daily basis.

“When he was in the hospital, he wanted us to buy him a laptop,” John Ryan said. “Even while he was being treated for cancer, he wanted to keep working and be connected.”

“A lot of people … as they age, they get scared of technology,” Mike Ryan said.

But not the patriarch of the Ryan clan.

In fact, besides making sure all of eastern New Mexico and west Texas had access to the latest in broadcast technology, Duane Ryan remained the family expert, his son-in-law Brad Chrisman confirmed.

“You know how when you have a problem in technology, you typically go to the youth?” Chrisman asked. “Well, when the youth had a problem, they’d go to Duane.”

Not only did Ryan understand and embrace technology, he knew how to make it accessible to others, and had the patience to make sure it worked.

For everyone.

Marla Chrisman said her dad came home exhausted from the station a few months ago for his lunch break. She encouraged him to stretch out and rest.

But, no.

He told her there was an 86-year-old viewer who was having trouble figuring out how to set up a Roku device to allow her to stream KENW’s on-demand programming.

“Dad pulled up an ottoman to his Roku,” Marla said, “and spent an hour and a half on the phone with her, patiently walking through the process step-by-step,” including helpful tips like, “You’ll have to hit home … that’s the little house.”

“I sat there in awe,” said Marla. “He’s 90. Right there on his ottoman. He was so patient … repeating steps … assuring her, ‘We’ve got this.’”

When he was finished, Marla said her dad justified the lengthy tech call in a way that surprises none of us who knew him. “He said maybe this is the only thing that brings her joy right now.”

Those of us who love public television and radio on the High Plains can thank Duane Ryan’s wife of 64 years, Martha, for encouraging him to relocate his young family here in 1967.

The Ryans visited Portales in March that year, and it was “a dust bowl,” Marla said. Duane Ryan was interviewing for the job he would get, that of assistant professor of speech and theater.

“Mom said, ‘I think it sounds fun. We should move here. It would be a fun adventure,’” Marla recalled.

Tamara said her father initially taught and directed plays with the late Lyle Hagan, but his love of theater and his acumen of technology grew together to become the dreams that brought public radio and television to our extended community, and led to a decorated broadcast career.

The Ryan family invites all of us who knew and loved their dad to join them in celebrating his remarkable life in a memorial scheduled for 2:30 p.m. May 23 in the University Theatre Center at ENMU — a date that also marks Duane Ryan’s 91st birthday.

The family is gathering special memories from his legendary life and career to share that day. If you’ve got one — or a hundred — they would love to hear them. Email your memories to [email protected], or send by mail to KENW Broadcast Center, 1500 S. Ave. K, Station 52, Portales NM 88130.

Memorial contributions may also be made in Duane Ryan’s honor to that address.

“Our joke is that our dad had six children,” Marla said, including herself, her four siblings … and KENW. “The station was his favorite child. We’re OK with that.”

Betty Williamson hopes Duane Ryan’s voice stays on the air forever. Reach her at:

[email protected]