[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                    IN HONOR OF CHARLES B. RYAN III

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 11, 2019

  Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Charles B. Ryan III, 
a small business owner who died on November 27, 2019 at the age of 90. 
Mr. Ryan made the Roanoke Valley a better place to live thanks to his 
contributions.
  Mr. Ryan was born on August 14, 1929. After graduating from Dartmouth 
University in 1951, he married his beloved wife, Ms. Susan Thomas. Mr. 
Ryan started his career working for Firestone Tire and Rubber, before 
moving to Mohawk Tire and Rubber in Arkansas. The experience Mr. Ryan 
obtained from his first two jobs prepared him for the creation of a new 
tire plant. In 1968, Mr. Ryan selected Salem, Virginia as the site of 
the new plant. He oversaw the construction of the new plant and served 
as the General Manager. After working there for a few years, Mr. Ryan 
became a manufacturing consultant. The Mohawk tire facility is now 
owned by the Yokohama Tire Corporation and remains a significant 
employer in the Roanoke Valley.
  Mr. Ryan was a skilled athlete and sports was one of his biggest 
hobbies. He and his wife Sue devoted countless hours to amateur sports 
to the benefit of others in the community. Their involvement in 
expanding opportunities for swimming allowed more young people, 
including myself, to enjoy this activity. Mr. Ryan loved golf so much 
that he served on the Board of Directors at his local club, Hidden 
Valley Country Club. He decided to create a business devoted to his 
hobby by opening a store in Roanoke called The Sports Shop, which 
provided medals and trophies for many of the area's competitions.
  After a few years of consulting and running The Sports Shop, Mr. Ryan 
moved to Winchester, Virginia where he managed the Stowe-Woodward 
plant. After receiving a master's degree in accounting from Georgetown 
University, Mr. Ryan returned to Salem and used his new degree to open 
an accounting business in Roanoke.
  Mr. Ryan is survived by his wife, Sue, his children Deborah Howard, 
C. William Ryan, Thomas Ryan, and David Ryan, and his five grandsons, 
Conklin and Adam Howard, Sean Ryan, and Jack and Lukas Ryan. The 
Roanoke Valley and the Commonwealth of Virginia were fortunate to have 
this fine community member and small business owner among the 
citizenry. I offer my condolences to the Ryan family on their loss.

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