1961: "Cell Heredity", F. J. Ryan and R. Sager, John Wiley & Sons, New York
"In every generation there are a few rare individuals who combine the qualities
necessary for scientific excellence and productivity with those of an effective
teacher and with those which make a truly great and well-rounded human being.
"Francis Ryan was, to an extraordinary degree, such a rare individual. In
addition to his responsibilities as Chairman of the Department of Zoology at
Columbia University, and his diversified teaching and research activities,
Francis always was able to find time for many other endeavors. These included
his devoted and effective activities on behalf of the Microbial Genetics
Bulletin. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Bulletin, and it profited
greatly from his support and contributions, and those of his colleagues.
"Francis Ryan's devoted and wise efforts, judgment, and advice contributed
greatly to the success of these many undertakings and are sorely missed.
All of us who have been associated with him are grateful that we had the
opportunity of knowing him as a scientist, teacher, and friend."
E. L. Tatum
Microbial Genetics Bulletin No. 20, April 1964, Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Joshua Lederberg was one of Francis Ryan's students. Joshua Lederberg,
through the NLM site, saw fit to commemorate his teacher: "Between 1946 and
1952, Joshua Lederberg almost single-handedly reshaped the field of bacterial
genetics." However, a student of Josh and Esther, who worked in their
lab, saw Frank Ryan quite differently. See the August 12, 1963 letter from
Yukinori Hirota to Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg, the fourth link below.