While Methodist University is full of “legacy” stories that strongly display the loyalty the school is known for, each year there is a story or two that just stand out from the others.
While Methodist University is full of “legacy” stories that strongly display the loyalty the school is known for, each year there is a story or two that just stand out from the others.
In May of 2024, one of those amazing Monarch stories added another remarkable chapter.
With family and friends in attendance – and with his brother, Joshua ’20 serving as his sponsor –Caleb Ryan (an accounting major) walked across the stage at Commencement 2024 as a graduate of Methodist University. That may not seem any more special than the hundreds of others that crossed the stage at the Crown Coliseum that day, but there’s more to the story and the continual connections to MU are astounding:
- Caleb Ryan is the youngest son of Chris Ryan and Susan Cox (now Susan Cox Bucolo).
- Susan is a 1990 MU graduate (a great student-athlete and captain of the cheer team) who lived on campus with Chris and their boys while Chris worked at MU.
- Chris Ryan served MU for 16 years as the director of Student Activities from 1989 to 2003. In September 2003, he died due to an allergic reaction from a bee’s sting and the next year, a building on campus was renamed Chris’s House in his honor.
- Caleb’s older brothers are Joshua (who did the hooding for Caleb in May, not having had the opportunity to walk across the stage at Commencement 2020 that was done virtually due to COVID) and Christopher ’15.
Dad is an MU legend, mom, and two brothers are MU grads… but we’re not close to being finished with the connections.
- Caleb’s stepfather is Patrick Bucolo, who is a 2005 MU grad, and Christopher’s father-in-law, Berkely Helm, earned an MU degree in 2014.
- Caleb’s aunt is Jeannette Terranova ’98, who is married to (uncle) Justin Terranova ’97 the long-time soccer coach for the Monarchs.
- And then there’s “Papa Mike,” the name the Ryan boys gave Mike Safley ’72 (who was a VP for Campus Ministry on Campus Engagement at MU after being president at the Methodist Home for Children in Raleigh where Chris grew up). Safley officiated the weddings of Christopher (and wife, Mackenzie) in 2023 and Joshua (and wife, Sophia) in 2024.
Read more detail about Chris Ryan, this amazing family, and their connection to MU through this feature story written in 2020. Also check out the star of the day, Caleb, via an MU “Small Talk tribute photo” from 2004.
