Jon and Barb Ryan are among six recipients in Saskatchewan to receive a special honour from the University of Regina at the 45th annual spring convocation.
The mother/son duo was presented with Honorary Doctor of Laws honoris causa (LLD,) the highest honour the University can grant.
“It’s a great honour to be recognized with this honorary degree and to receive it at the same convocation that my mother is getting one is pretty cool,” said Jon Ryan about the recognition.
Barb is receiving the honorary degree for her efforts to welcome refugees and immigrants to Saskatchewan.
Over the years, she has hosted two families from Africa and a refugee family of eight from Syria, helping them settle in Saskatchewan.
She’s been recognized with the 2012 Saskatchewan Diamond Jubilee Award, the 2016 Red Cross Humanitarian Award, the Canada 150 Award, and the Saskatchewan Volunteer Award.
“It’s an honour, and it’s lovely to have your labour of love recognized in the community,” Barb Ryan says of receiving the honorary degree. “I tell my grandkids we are really lucky to live here, and I try to show them we have to share, we have to give back.”
Born and raised in Regina, Jon Ryan is an alumnus of the University of Regina and also played for the Regina Rams.
The former Seattle Seahawks punter also launched the Gear Up with Jon Ryan Foundation, a charity for minor football in Saskatchewan.
He’s also been an outspoken supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
Jon recently signed with his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders in the spring of 2019.
This is the first time a parent and child have received honorary degrees on the same day in the university’s history.