Pat O’Day Honored With SISU Award

Pat Ryan O’Day Named 2015 Recipient Of Save the Wild U.P.’s Fred Rydholm Sisu Award

“The late Pat Ryan O’Day, beloved publisher of the Marquette Monthly, has been named the recipient of the 2015 Fred Rydholm Sisu Award. The award will be presented at Save the Wild U.P.’s Winter Gala, December 5th at Steinhaus Market in Marquette, MI.

Marquette — Local publisher Pat Ryan O’Day has been posthumously selected to receive the 2015 Fred Rydholm Sisu Award from Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP), a grassroots environmental nonprofit. The award will be presented next month at SWUP’s Winter Gala, taking place December 5th at the Steinhaus Market in Marquette. The evening’s festivities will also include a Silent Auction featuring original work by dozens of U.P. artists, artisans and entrepreneurs, the music of local jazz combo Soul Pasty, and keynote speaker Louis V. Galdieri, director of the documentary film “1913 Massacre.”

Presenting the Fred Rydholm Sisu Award – an engraved wooden sauna ladle – will be Fred’s son, Daniel. “My father would agree wholeheartedly with the selection of Pat Ryan O’Day for the Sisu Award. As a publisher, writer, business owner and mentor, Pat was a clear-eyed and passionate defender of the community and our environment for decades. She perfectly embodied values of public service and stewardship, and she brought out the best in everyone who knew her.”

Save the Wild U.P. created the award in memory of the late Fred Rydholm, who embodied SWUP’s environmental values. “Sisu has become a Yooper thing, a word meaning perseverance, grit, resilience — it was a concept in the Finnish language brought by Finnish immigrants who settled in the Upper Peninsula,” said Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP’s Executive Director. “In a group sauna, it’s an honor to be given the responsibility of making steam, using the wooden ladle (called ‘löylykauha’) to pour water over the sauna stones. Pat Ryan O’Day was a cultural life-force in our community, a steam-maker. She truly deserves this honor,” said Maxwell.

Pat Ryan O’Day (1932 – 2015) was long known in Upper Michigan as the owner of Marquette Monthly, which she owned for over twenty years. Marquette Monthly began in 1987 and was purchased by Ryan O’Day in 1992. Since then, the publication has been regularly and widely distributed throughout Upper Michigan. Ryan O’Day was proud that it was the only independent, locally owned newspaper in Upper Michigan. Under Ryan O’Day’s ownership, Marquette Monthly won numerous Good News Awards, and in 2011, it was awarded recognition in the Marquette Arts and Culture Awards for its longstanding excellence and contribution to the community. Benefitting the community was one of Ryan O’Day’s greatest interests and she always made certain that good causes and important events found mention in Marquette Monthly, especially news stories related to health, and stories about environmental issues critical to U.P. residents.

C. Fred Rydholm (1924-2009) was a teacher, wilderness guide, three-term mayor of the City of Marquette, and author of “Superior Heartland: A Backwood History.” In his obituary, the Mining Journal wrote “Known and beloved as a storyteller, mentor and friend to countless numbers of followers and fans both regionally and internationally, Rydholm inspired and influenced the way many think and relate to their personal life story, their cultural identity and their relationship to the Upper Peninsula’s wilderness heritage.”

The Fred Rydholm Sisu Award was established in 2013 to recognize the perseverance of dedicated community-minded activists and environmental stewards. In selecting Pat Ryan O’Day as the award recipient, SWUP’s board members praised her many outstanding qualities. “Above all, Pat exemplified virtues of hard work, perseverance, and unity,” said SWUP President Kathleen Heideman. “Like Fred, she was community-centered, loving and fearless — even when her editorial support for the environmental perspective led to criticism and threats.”

“I’m honored to accept Save the Wild U.P.’s award on behalf of my mom,” said her daughter Aileen. “Pat Ryan O’Day deeply loved the beauty of the wild Upper Peninsula and worked tirelessly on behalf of her community.”

 More Info About Pat Ryan O’Day

Pat Ryan O’Day was long known in Upper Michigan as the owner of Marquette Monthly for over twenty years. Marquette Monthly began in 1987 and was purchased by Ryan O’Day in 1992.

Since then, it has been regularly distributed throughout central and western Upper Michigan. Ryan O’Day was proud that it was the only independent and locally owned newspaper in Upper Michigan. Under Ryan O’Day’s ownership, Marquette Monthly won numerous Good News Awards, and in 2011, it was awarded recognition in the Marquette Arts and Culture Awards for its longstanding excellence and contribution to the community. Benefitting the community was one of Ryan O’Day’s greatest interests and she always made certain that good causes and important events found mention in Marquette Monthly, from fundraising support for Public Radio 90 to raising awareness of health and environmental issues and encouraging people to shop locally.

Prior to owning Marquette Monthly, Ryan O’Day owned the Action Shopper in Marquette. She was also actively involved as a Board Member of Northern Michigan University’s Northwind student newspaper. Many of those student journalists later found jobs at Marquette Monthly. Ryan O’Day loved to encourage and support young people and to show appreciation for those who made special contributions, including supporting 8-18 Media with its own column in Marquette Monthly and spotlighting locals. Ryan O’Day was involved in numerous other organizations, sat on many boards and constantly did everything she could to strengthen the community.

Longtime writer for MM, Larry Chabot stated “From my first Marquette Monthly article in 1997 (which she accepted without knowing anything about me) until she passed in January, we only met twice. Our communications over the year came via hundreds of emails and phone calls. She was always supportive and encouraging, often adding her recollections to my research. Pat printed 106 of my historical articles, for which I was very grateful.Through her magazine, Pat gave space to a great variety of writers, including those in the unique age 8 to 18 group, and provided lists of events, museums, galleries, and celebrations, and the much-appreciated New York Times Sunday crossword puzzles. Our last exchange of calls and Emails occurred in early January. I saved her final message as a reminder of this kind, gentle, intelligent, and fully engaged friend.”

Author Tyler Tichelaar worked for Ryan O’Day for nearly eight years as the proofreader and book reviewer for Marquette Monthly. “I so appreciated her professionalism and her determination to tell both sides of the story,” said Tichelaar, “but best of all, she had wonderful stories to share of Marquette’s past.”

The Marquette Monthly, Ryan O’Day’s countless friends and admirers and her many contributions to the community are her lasting legacy. Her daughter, Aileen Ryan, said, “My mum loved this community and she never ceased to be pleased with how its readers responded to the Marquette Monthly. We intend to make sure that legacy continues.”

article compliments of: Save The Wild U.P.

Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots organization dedicated to defending clean water and wild places from the threat of sulfide mining and to preserving the Upper Peninsula’s unique culture. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SavetheWildU.P./69390f1359/ce89b21ae3/42b252ed66> or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SavetheWildU.P./69390f1359/ce89b21ae3/aafdb6e552> on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SavetheWildU.P./69390f1359/ce89b21ae3/86e07a4835> or on Twitter @savethewildup <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SavetheWildU.P./69390f1359/ce89b21ae3/5b2c6f00b7>.

by marquette_magazine