From These Roots

Twenty years after its owner’s death, a small autograph album from the late 1930s was discovered by Dr. Andrew Stevens at an antique mall. The owner of the little book was named Roberta Ryan and she attended North Greenville Junior College from 1937-1939.

Susan Roberta Ryan was born in Center Grove, Alabama on May 14, 1921, to parents Ealymus Ryan and Bonnie Stockton Ryan. She lived in Arab, Alabama with her family when she left the state to attend North Greenville Junior College. While a student at NGJC, Roberta was president of the E.Q.V. Literary Society and the Volunteer Band. She was also active in BSU, Y.W.A., and B.Y.P.U. During her senior year, she was elected to be the class historian. Most of the notes and signatures in her autograph book were from her time in Tigerville.

After graduating from NGJC with her associate’s degree, Roberta attended Florence State Teachers’ College in Alabama where she earned her B.S. Degree while also working as a teacher. She then moved to Texas and attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where she received her Master’s Degree in Religious Education. In 1945, Roberta accepted the call to serve as a missionary in Chile, South America. During her first year in Chile, Roberta attended language school. In 1947, she served as the Sunbeam Band director of Chile and as supervisor of the elementary school at Colegio Bautista at Temuco. From 1949-1950 she was the Children’s Camp Director for the Chile W.M.U. and in 1952, she served as the Executive Secretary for the Chile W.M.U.

In 1961, Roberta moved to El Paso, Texas where she worked as the director of the International Women’s Missionary Union Publications Program at the Baptist Spanish Publishing House. In this position, she edited five periodicals as well as organizational materials and other W.M.U. literature used in more than twenty Spanish-speaking countries. She stayed at the Baptist Spanish Publishing House in various roles until her retirement in 1987. She also wrote several books for the Convention Press including “Who? Me?” (1960), “Keep Telling the Story” (1963), and “The Claim Staker” (1977).

Eventually, Roberta moved to Spartanburg, SC to be near her sister, Mary Ryan Brockman, and her brother-in-law, James Brockman. Roberta passed away on December 10, 2003. She is buried in her hometown of Arab, Alabama.

We’d like to give a special thanks to Dr. Stevens for finding and donating this piece of NGU history.