SOUTH AMBOY – The City of South Amboy will honor James T. Ryan on Aug. 19 for his lifetime of service to the city, specifically for his 60 years of service with the South Amboy First Aid and Safety Squad.
The lifelong resident is believed to have answered more than 15,000 emergency calls through the years.
Ryan joined the first aid squad when he graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1958. He served in every capacity of leadership in the first aid squad including captain and president. He responded to the 1958 Bayonne train crash, the Hercules explosion, the Durham Woods explosion and the New Year’s Eve bus crash.
Ryan was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam. He is a registered nurse in the 26th Casualty Air Group during the war in 1967 and 1968. He was honorably discharged.
He served for 32 years as an educator and administrator with the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District after earning a bachelor’s degree from Jersey City College and a master’s degree in education from Rutgers University.
In his 60 years of service with the South Amboy First Aid Squad and Safety Squad, Ryan has been recognized with distinctions of “Citizen of the Year,” “Irish Man of the Year” and “First Aider of the Year”.
“I’ve been with the squad through births, people dying, motor vehicle accidents and house fires over the years,” Ryan said. “It’s the grace of God that keeps it all going because I feel great and I’m 78 now and I still run out on first aid calls.”
When asked about how it feels to be honored for his achievements, Ryan said, “It’s very humbling. I hope what comes out of this whole thing is more young people get involved in volunteerism. We are all, whether it’s the EMS or fire services, suffering from a lack of personnel.”
Ryan married his wife, Eileen, in 1965. The couple has six sons, Kevin, Jim, Tim, Gene, Chris and Owen.