Rememberance: Dan Waxer, MD, WB6HBC

Ted Ryan stood out at my Junior High School because he made an effort to genuinely connect with his students.

The difference between Ted Ryan and an “average” teacher was that Mr. Ryan as we called him, was genuinely interested in his students.  This genuine interest of his was something that was palpable and more than words.  Mr. Ryan really believed deep inside that each of his students was special and in many ways wonderful.  It was his positive and uplifting belief in each student that really set him apart.  When you are in the influence of someone who sends positive reinforcement in your goodness and your innate abilities to learn and grow, it is like you are in the light of the sun, and as a flower may dwindle and die in the shade, in the light of the sun, it has the opportunity to express its potential, and to bloom.  Mr. Ryan’s special contribution was his sharing of his belief that you were special and unique and wonderful and he was going to do whatever he could to help you to realize this and to help you to develop your talents and abilities to make things better for yourself and for others.

I recall Mr. Ryan saying things like “there is only one Danny Waxer in the universe and there will never be another.”  This message from someone who obviously was genuinely interested in your well being makes an important statement that although true, is often overlooked.  When you hear things like this it is uplifting.  After all, if Mr. Ryan believes in you, then you can believe in yourself and your abilities to achieve and hopefully do good in this world.  Mr. Ryan showed that an intelligent, knowledgeable older man who was an authority figure, absolutely believed in you as a wonderful and special person that had a bright future ahead.  Even now, it is clear that this loving expression of support is something that is found in this world only rarely.

Mr. Ryan stands out because he had the interest, and the will, and made the time to be there with you and to share who he was while also showing you that he was genuinely interested in you and believed in your inner goodness and your ability to contribute positively to the world.  His actions exemplify his belief that each of us can make a huge difference in the world, not necessarily by being rich or famous, but instead by being an individual willing and interested to spend time with others and to believe in them and to consistently be a positive influence for goodness.

I was fortunate enough to get to know Mr. Ryan over many encounters over many months of time and we had many discussions.  Mr. Ryan was a deeply religious man, but never wore that on his ‘sleeve’ so to speak.  He never brought up the subject of religion unless he was asked, and even then, he was never glib, and always seemed to respect the fact that there were other views even if they differed from his own.  On the other hand, his internal sense of God, and religion never seemed to waver.  What made him special was the fact that he always saw goodness and potential in his students.

I remember one time when I had asked him about life, death, and his belief in an afterlife, he in no uncertain terms, knew he was going to be in heaven eventually, and he told me many times that he was looking forward to our eventual meeting in Heaven where we would have unlimited time to continue our discussions about life, and all of the questions of existence.  He painted a picture for me where we would meet on a bench in heaven and sit and discuss whatever we liked for as long as we liked.  Somehow I know he is there waiting for me whenever I show up.  In fact, before I knew he had passed away, I had a dream about him, and in the dream he was waiting for our future meeting.

Mr. Ryan, up there, know that you have showed and brought kindness and goodness to this troubled world.  You have lightened the load of countless students and through your belief in us, have helped us to become better and kinder people, with a love for learning.

I somehow know you are up there, and one day we shall meet again.

Love, ‘Danny’

(I was a student in Mr. Ryan’s electrical class in 1970-1971 and my interest in Ham radio began there.  Eventually I took my novice test and then my advanced test and received call sign WB6HBC.  I always liked that call sign because it has a nice rhythm when keyed in Morse code.  Mr. Ryan liked it for the same reason.  Later I went to the University of Southern California and then became a Henry Luce Foundation Scholar and worked in South Korea for a year, and then went to Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford University School of Electrical Engineering where I received an M.D. and M.S.E.E. degree.  I eventually became an Anesthesiologist and have been practicing since 1986.) 

P.S.  

I remember for example when Ted and his wife decided to purchase their 2nd Mustang.  I believe they purchased a V8 mustang brand new from Galpin Ford.  It was a fastback.  That afternoon, it was Ted, his wife, and I at the dealership.  I remember that Ted and I went out and talked while his wife negotiated the price.  After his wife made the arrangements, Ted came back and perused it.  Later he told her that she should have done better.  I was a bit surprised by that only because Ted did not himself make any effort to negotiate, but then later was disappointed.  I think the meaning is that Ted probably did not like to deal with those issues as too mundane, but of course to live in the 'real world' the results still impact us and that is what Ted was saying to his wife.  I recall that, that mustang was quite powerful, and Ted took it on a cross country trip to visit relatives on a farm.  He told me that even going 100 mph, that car does not slow down whether there is a hill or not.

Ted knew so many things, for example, he taught me how to make a two-stroke motorcycle start every time.  (Sometimes two-stroke engines can be difficult to start, or finicky, and these bikes had kick-starters which made repeated kicking tiring.  He had ridden dirt bikes in the past and way very familiar with them.)

Ted also knew alot about music and he did not speak of that unless asked.  He had a harpsichord at his home you may recall.  (An instrument not currently found in many homes.)

But, overall it was his untiring interest in his students, and his patience with his students that was unusual.

I lived close to Murray Maiden, who also took his license with Ted administering his novice test.
I was there that day at JB, after school was out.

I remember that Murray had a difficult time learning the theory and code, and I spent some time helping.  I never thought much of that until Ted once said to me just in passing that of all of the things I had ever done in my life, the most important thing I had done was to help Murray with passing his Novice test.  That comment really made me stop and think, and at the time, it was a thought that would have never occurred to me, but later, I realized that what he was saying was of course, the things that really matter are the things we do that help and share with others.  What we do for ourselves is much less meaningful.  That was his point and he made it well with me that day.