In Memoriam: Dag Ryan

It is with great sorrow that the Patterson School reports the passing of Dag Ryen after a short in-home hospice stay. His cancer accelerated at a rapid pace over his last six weeks, but he was resting comfortably at home with family by his side until the end. 

Dag was born on his parents’ farm in Ringsaker, Norway. The family emigrated to the United States after receiving an offer to become a farm manager. Dag grew up surrounded by horses, eventually graduating from Lafayette Senior High School and attending Princeton University. Upon completing a degree in Politics, he returned to Norway for a journalism position with the Norwegian Wire Service. There he met Lajla and her four children (Olve, Trond, Anja, and Hild). The family relocated to Lexington in 1978 and the subsequent year his son, Tind Shepper, was born. 

Upon his return to Lexington, Dag embraced a multitude of roles. He authored several books—including Traces; The Story of Lexington’s Past, a text for local elementary school classes, and This Trembling Land, a historical young adult novel. He reviewed theater productions for the Lexington Herald-Leader and Southern Theater, with the reputation as a tough yet fair critic aiming to elevate live theater quality. In addition, he was the executive editor for State Government News, a publication of the Council of State Governments where he also led various efforts to provide public administration and media relations training to public servants from numerous countries. In the late 1990s Dag began teaching courses at the Patterson School of Diplomacy at the University of Kentucky, through which he met many wonderful students whose achievements filled him with pride for many years. 

In 2005, Dag & Lajla relocated to the Eldorado subdivision of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dag had discovered his passion for hiking in Kentucky, and became an active hike leader for the local Northern New Mexico Sierra Club. Together with Lajla, they hiked every trail in the acclaimed Sierra Club Santa Fe hiking guide as they helped edit and produce its 7th edition. Between his civic work and hiking, Dag also found time to write a third book, Hardboot Rules, about a teenager coming of age on a horse farm in Kentucky. 

A gentle and wise man, Dag brought great joy to many people. He will be sorely missed.