Shocked and deeply saddened, the SRJC community and friends mourned the loss of student leader Kory Kevin Ryan at his memorial service Nov. 3 in the Bertolini Student Center. Ryan died Oct. 26 from complications of oral surgery.
“I’m still in a state of shock. As a matter of fact, every time I turn around and someone passes by who’s about the same size I think I see him,” said Eric Thompson, religious studies teacher at SRJC.
The memorial service provided opportunities for Ryan’s friends and family to give personal remarks, as well as songs and a slideshow of his life, filling the crowd with tears, sadness and at times laughter.
Brenda Flyswithhawks, SRJC  professor and adviser to the Queer Student Union, talked about the times she shared with Ryan as his instructor.
“Kory was a scholar in ways that people like myself learned very much, especially in those moments that he pissed me off,” Flyswithhawks said jokingly. “And where we met each other in that pissing off competition was on a scholarly level. He was brilliant.”
Relentless political activist and founder of ABIS (Acquired Brain Injured Students) and the Queer Student Union, Ryan worked tirelessly to help others and improve SRJC in as many ways possible.
Ryan was a transgender student who was previously known as Kory White. He had undergone surgery not long before his death.
Rhonda Findling, a counselor at SRJC and member of GALEAF, the gay and lesbian employees and friends, spoke at the service.
“I’m really glad Kory got to finally live as the person he felt he was meant to be,” Findling said. “But I’m really sad that his life, especially as a male, was so short lived.”
Ryan had been an SRJC student leader for 11 years and was currently serving as Executive Vice President of the Associated Student Senate.
At the statewide level, Ryan worked as one of the drafters on what would become the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.
“I just want to thank Kory for all that he did for SRJC, for students, for the LGBT community and for social justice,” Findling added.
Ryan received a wide array of awards and recognitions, including the Randolph Newman Leadership Award and the Jack Cooper Memorial Award. He was a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma and Phi Theta Kappa, which each require the highest honors.
“If Kory had lived he would have dedicated eight years of his life as an elected official,” said Ian Gervase Maurer, previous president of Associated Students Senate and friend of Ryan. “He was very inspirational to me.”
Contributions to the Kory Kevin Ryan Memorial fund will be deposited into a trust account and help cover the expenses of the service. To mail a donation, please visit the Student Affairs office on the Santa Rosa campus.