Wauwatosa Native Pat Ryan Heads Olympic Effort for Chicago Games

Olympic officials will be awarding the 2016 Olympic games this week to one of three major cities, among them Chicago.

A Wauwatosa native, Patrick G. Ryan, along with such luminaries as President Obama, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, are in Copenhagen this week, hoping those officials will pick Chicago and bring the games to America.

However, of all the luminaries Ryan, carries the major responsibility for bringing the games home to the US. As executive director of Project 2016, Ryan, for more than a year, has worked the day-to-day tasks that would convice the Olympic committee to chose Chicago.

A former football Red Raider at Wauwatosa High School where he graduated in 1955. Pat earned all-suburban honors. He was president of the student council and homecoming king in his senior year.

After a football career at Northwestern, Ryan was instrumental in raising funds to rebuild that school’s athletic fields. For that effort, the field has been re-named Ryan Field in honor of his family. He was a member of the prestigious Horatio Alger Associated of Distinguished Americans.

From a small, independently owned insurance firm, Patrick built AON Corp., of Chicago, the world’s second largest insurance company, with 53,000 employees in 550 offices in 120 countries throughout the world.

178 AON employees were killed in the Twin Towers disaster where AON had its New York offices.

Pat established the AON Memorial Education Fund to support educational needs of children of AON employees who were victims of the World Trade Center disaster.

Pat said his Tosa classmates remain among his closest friends. In his speech to Tosa students upon accepting the Inspiration award. Ryan told his audience, “I know they will be on my case after today, wondering how I ever was given this award.”

Ryan has also promised in speeches he has made in Wisconsin about the games, to bring many of the events and venues to many areas in southeast Wisconsin, including his hometown.