University of Michigan - Flint

Auldin Nelson, longtime Flint community member and supporter of the University of Michigan, passed away November 6, 2007 at his Burton home at the age of 84.  Mr. Nelson was born in Ohio in 1923 and moved to Flint as a child. In 1941, he graduated from Flint Central High School, where he was a star quarterback. He went on to attend classes at Flint Junior College, then transferred to the University of Michigan, where he again played football. College was put on hold when Nelson was sent to Germany during World War II. He was promoted to first lieutenant and earned a Purple Heart for his work in Auschwitz.

Nelson returned to Ann Arbor in 1945, and three years later he met his wife Jean in Portage Lake. In 1949, Nelson graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He married Jean that June.

By the mid-1950s Nelson had become a junior partner with Flint’s Nurmi, Nelson, McKinley and Associates. Nelson was most recently senior partner at Nelson, McKinley, Reed and Associates when he died.

Nelson is survived by his wife, daughter, son, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Nelson left a great mark on the community as an architect for the Sloan Museum, Flint Institute of Arts, Kearsley Manor, Flint Public Library, the fieldhouse of Flint Central High School and Burton’s Senior Center to name a few. He was also very involved with the Burton Rotary, a member since it was founded in 1979.

As a member of the University of Michigan Club of Greater Flint (M-Club of Greater Flint), Nelson was a strong advocate for the organization’s lecture series and fundraising efforts to provide scholarship support for University of Michigan-Flint students.  His support has made a lasting difference in the lives of students who have benefitted from the programming opportunities and generosity offered by the M-Club of Greater Flint.

Mrs. Marion “Mim” Ryan, long time resident of Flint and friend of UM-Flint, recently passed away at the age of 85.  Mrs. Ryan was born in North Tonawanda Falls, New York and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan before attending the University of Michigan to pursue a degree in history.  In 1944, she married Thomas Patrick Ryan and settled in Flint where the couple raised six children.  Following the death of her husband in 1977, Mrs. Ryan assumed responsibility for the family business, the Tom Ryan Distributing Co., Incorporated.  Under her strong leadership and work ethic, the company flourished and eventually grew to employ over 180 employees.  For her success, she was nominated as one of the Top 50 Women Business Owners in Michigan.

Mrs. Ryan was preceded in death by two children.  She is survived by three daughters, one son, fourteen grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and her many friends.

Mrs. Ryan was very involved in the community as a volunteer and as a philanthropist.  Her generosity extended to the University of Michigan-Flint where she created the Thomas P. Ryan and Thomas P. Ryan, Jr. Scholarship Fund.  This endowed scholarship, created in memory of her husband and son, supports students pursuing degree programs in the UM-Flint School of Management.  Since its establishment, the Thomas P. Ryan and Thomas P. Ryan, Jr. Scholarship has aided numerous students in their pursuit of a college education.

Jack Willson Thompson, M.D., longtime supporter and friend of the University of Michigan-Flint passed away in Naples, Florida, on September 9, 2007.  Dr. Thompson’s legacy in the Flint community is marked by his long history of medical practice in the areas of Obstetrics and Gynecology and by his philanthropic support of the Flint Institute of Arts, the Flint College and Cultural Center, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, and the University of Michigan-Flint.

Dr. Thompson’s support of the University of Michigan-Flint has had a tremendous impact on our campus and the educational experiences of our students.  It is through his generosity and the generosity of his family that the construction of the Frances Willson Thompson Library was made possible.  Named in honor of Dr. Thompson’s mother, the Frances Willson Thompson Library provides state of the art educational materials and academic laboratories to benefit all students who utilize the three floor structure.  Dr. Thompson’s support also includes the establishment of the Jack W. Thompson, M.D., Distinguished Visiting Professorship.  This fund provides opportunities for UM-Flint to invite nationally acclaimed scholars in a variety of interests to conduct lectures, presentations, seminars, and meetings with students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.

Through his support, Dr. Thompson has helped to create the University of Michigan-Flint that we have today.  His generosity will be remembered by all of his University of Michigan friends and by the students, past and present, who have grown to know and love the Flint campus.

Dr. Theophilus "Professor Ted" Lynch, who founded the Spanish Program at the University of Michigan-Flint, died July 3, 2007.

After a distinguished career in the Pacific Theater of action during WW II, Professor Lynch went on to receive his B.A. and his M.A. from Williams College and his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1966, he joined the UM-Flint faculty and was promoted to full professor in 1972.

At the time of his arrival, the Foreign Language Department had no faculty in Spanish. Professor Lynch was responsible for founding the university's Spanish program. It eventually became the most popular language program at UM-Flint. He went on to offer classes in Portuguese and Latin.

"Dr. Lynch was an excellent scholar, a devoted teacher, and a loyal colleague. Students gravitated to his gentle, kindly manner, and flourished under his patient tutelage," recalled College of Arts and Sciences Dean D.J. Trela. "I was privileged to meet him on a number of occasions, and recall with real delight our conversations about literature, his fascination with the tarot, and his distinguished service in west Asia during WWII, which he was always reluctant to discuss."

Professor Lynch retired in May, 1993. He spent 27 of his 43 teaching years at UM-Flint.

"We are deeply grateful for his devotion to the Foreign Languages Department and the College of Arts and Sciences. We honor his memory and his example," said Trela.

Dr. Lynch’s commitment to the University of Michigan-Flint extended beyond his years of teaching to include a bequest gift benefiting faculty research.  As an endowed fund, The Theophilus Lynch Humanities Research Fund will provide significant support to tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, and to long-term adjunct faculty to perform research related to the humanities.  Faculty research continues to be a priority of the University of Michigan-Flint, and through his generosity, Dr. Lynch will make the research endeavors of faculty possible for many years to come.

Longtime University of Michigan-Flint friend and School of Education and Human Services (SEHS) alumna, Genevieve Arlene (Riker) Gay, recently passed away at the age of 88.  Mrs. Gay graduated from UM-Flint with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1961.  In 1967, she earned her Master of Arts in Education from UM-Ann Arbor.

Mrs. Gay was a long-time resident of our community and attended Hoover Elementary and High School in the Carmen-Ainsworth school system.  After she raised her children, she returned to school to pursue a teaching certification in English.  After graduating from UM-Flint, Mrs. Gay returned to the Carmen-Ainsworth school system where she taught until her retirement in 1984.

Mrs. Gay was a very active volunteer with the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Flint and often traveled with her choir group.  Her travels included China, Russia, Israel, France and England.  Mrs. Gay was a long-time supporter of the Flint Institute of Music, the Flint Institute of Arts, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Flint.

Through a generous planned gift, Mrs. Gay established a charitable gift benefiting the students of the UM-Flint School of Education and Human Services.  Once finalized, the Genevieve A. Gay Scholarship will support students who demonstrate financial need in the teacher education program.

Genevieve Gay is survived by her three children, four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. She was a very devoted and independent woman who will be missed by the entire Flint community.