Justice Michael Ryan
The State Bar of Arizona issued the following statement this morning in regard to the death of retired Arizona Justice Michael Ryan, who passed away on Monday from an apparent heart attack. He was 66 years old.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 31, 2012
Contact: Rick DeBruhl, Chief Communications Officer
Phone: (602) 340-7335, Mobile: (602) 513-6385
E-Mail: rick.debruhl@staff.azbar.org
State Bar Mourns the Passing of Arizona Supreme Court Justice Ryan (Ret.)
PHOENIX – Jan. 31, 2012 – The Board of Governors, along with the staff of the State Bar of Arizona, mourn the passing of retired Arizona Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Ryan.
According to Board President, Joe Kanefield, “Justice Ryan was a legal giant whose kind demeanor made all who appeared before him feel at ease. He presided over some of the most important cases in our State’s history and set an example of courage and perseverance. His wit and sense of humor are legendary. He has earned his place in Arizona history and as one of our finest jurists. He will be dearly missed by the legal community.”
Bar CEO John Phelps added, “The work and accomplishments of our true heroes are often lost in the noise and commotion of a world that too often honors celebrity, rather than service. Mike Ryan, pure and simple, was a true hero in every sense of the word.”
Justice Ryan was an active member of the Bar, serving on the Disabilities Task Force. While serving on the Supreme Court, he helped to create the current lawyer regulation system.
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This week, I will be attending a conference in New Orleans. There, the National Association of Bar Executives gathers to share best practices and find new ways to do recurring things. You can read more about the conference and its diverse sessions here.
And yes, I assume I’ll fit in the time to have a few oysters and listen to some Blues (after each day’s sessions, of course!).
I wrote before about The Big Easy, a city that provides unique experiences at every turn. And later in the week, I’ll write a few words about the legal and other topics covered at the NABE conference.
Today, though, you read this as I sail through the skies via Southwest, first to Houston and then to New Orleans. So to prepare both of us Blues Travelers, let me point you to a few NOLA stories that caught my eye. Each comes from the delightfully titled Times-Picayune, and is part of a series the newspaper did on the 175th birthday of the Crescent City.
The paper did a remarkable job of telling multiple tales. On Thursday, I’ll pass on some about judges and laws. But today? How about dunces?
That’s right. The paper wisely covered the topic of the phenomenal New Orleans novel A Confederacy of Dunces, written by John Kennedy Toole. Haven’t yet read the book that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981? Then start here with some well-written background.
Cafe du Monde
And let’s end with a sweet, sweet part of New Orleans: the beignet. This fried treat is perhaps most famously served at the city’s Café du Monde. As the Times-Picayune reporter noted humorously:
“[Café du Monde] now has a number of other locations in the New Orleans area, and in addition to Cafe du Monde and Morning Call, a few other places feature beignets on the menu. One is at Louis Armstrong International Airport. Twice during the mail-borne anthrax scare of 2001, the airport’s hazmat team was called out to inspect a powdery residue reported by travelers. Both times that white residue proved to be leftover powdered sugar from someone’s beignet.”
Read the whole story here. And I’ll see you tomorrow.
