How strange a Chequer Work of Providence is the Life of Man!” Daniel Defoe writes in Robinson Crusoe. On Sunday afternoon, March 12, I was sitting at my kitchen table having a glass of scotch with my friend Armand Paul, talking about life, the strange things that happen and how you never know what’s around the corner. Incoming from out of the blue. We also talked about how good the scotch tasted.
Armand was telling stories about his career with CBC Radio, particularly his time working in Whitehorse in the late ’60s. As he talked, I thought about two photos I’d found recently in a box I’d received from journalist and columnist Jackie Webster shortly before she died in 2019. One of the photos was of a young-looking Armand Paul, and the other an equally fresh-faced Kevin Ryan, another former CBC Fredericton on-air personality.
About the time Armand was finishing his stories and thinking about heading home, the phone rang. It was Joe Wood, a former CBC broadcaster we both know well.
“Lane, it’s Joe. I hate being the bearer of bad news, but Kevin Ryan just died.”
I could tell from Armand’s face that he’d heard Joe’s message.
Ironically, when I heard this news, I was sitting with the man who hired Kevin to move from the north to work at CBC Fredericton. It was also ironic that I’d seen the photos of both men just days before while looking for something else.
After thanking Joe for passing on the sad news, I hung up. “If it weren’t for you,” I said to Armand, “Kevin might never have wound up in New Brunswick.”
Many fondly remember Kevin Ryan’s popular afternoon radio program, The Rolling Home Show, on CBC Fredericton in the 1980s and ’90s. I sure do. He interviewed me once, and as nervous as I was going in, Kevin’s calm and friendly demeanour settled me down immediately. It wasn’t just his demeanour, but also his smooth velvety voice and timing. A well-read and curious man with a terrific sense of humour, Kevin never missed a beat and could always hit the right tone during an interview. He had a great laugh too.
The last time I heard that laugh was in Sobeys. We bumped into each other in the produce section. We caught up a bit, talked about mutual friends and laughed about how fast the last 25 years had gone. I remember telling him how much I enjoyed his photography, just one of the many hobbies that gave him a creative outlet, especially after retiring. I also told him how much I missed hearing him on the radio.
As we said goodbye, I asked him to pass on my regards to Joy Asher, Kevin’s longtime partner. Walking away, it struck me that his voice was still velvety smooth and still had a spark; so much so that in my imagination I could hear the theme music for The Rolling Home Show from all those years ago.
It’s no wonder Joy asked Armand to put together a few words about the man she’d loved and had spent many enriching years with. Here are Armand’s thoughts.
“When my wife and I arrived in Whitehorse in April of 1969, we were met at the airport by the station manager, Raoul St. Julien, and announcer Kevin Ryan. I was the newly hired Program Operations Officer for the CBC Northern Service’s Yukon Radio Network, with offices and studios in Whitehorse. Kevin was one of the station’s five staff announcers, and it didn’t take long to discover that he was the cream of that crop.
“A few years after I’d left Whitehorse and was producing the Information Morning show in Fredericton (about 1973, I think), my excellent host was leaving our program to produce one for CBC Moncton. I needed to find a new host, and Kevin came instantly to mind. Fortunately for me, he seemed as excited about the idea of coming to Fredericton as I was about having him on my program. He made the move across the country and slipped into the host’s chair with all the professional care and comfort I knew he’d bring to the job.
“After more than a handful of years as the morning host, Kevin was asked to apply his talents to a new afternoon program, The Rolling-Home Show, featuring a balance of information and entertainment. Once again, he proved to be the perfect choice. His skillful interviews and exciting remote broadcasts set a high standard for afternoon programming. The popular new show was an excellent canvas for the many abilities that Kevin had been honing for years.”
So long, Kevin Ryan. Thank you. Godspeed.
