John and Marsha Ryan, in honor of Monica L. Ryan

Monica Ryan was born in Streater, Illinois, and grew-up in the Chicago area. She graduated from Calvin Park High School, and in March 1943, she entered nurse’s training at Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago, a three-year program affiliated with Northwestern University. After graduation, she practiced in Santa Monica, Chicago, and then in Jacksonville, Illinois. Three of her four children graduated from SIU, as did three of her nine grandchildren.