Rooted in faith, driven by a pursuit of excellence in Catholic education, and committed to service. This has been Father Ryan High School’s legacy since our founding in 1925. With each decade, we have met the challenges of new generations while continuing to serve Nashville, Tennessee, and the world.
The generosity of our alumni, parents, and friends in 2024-2025 continues the transformative impact that has brought Father Ryan to this milestone moment of 100 years. Ours is a history built on the accomplishments of our students, educators, and alumni and on the unwavering support of the Irish community.
In this Impact Report, we proudly share philanthropic highlights that celebrate and inspire our next century. These pages represent more than financial strength; they reflect a community deeply committed to our enduring mission and to the formation of future generations. More than numbers, they tell the story of a community united by a shared mission and a vision for what is next.
$5.052M
Record-breaking Total Gifts and Pledges in 2024-2025 (Unrestricted and Restricted)
$4.789M
Total Cash In-hand Gifts and Pledges in 2024-2025 (Unrestricted and Restricted)
Ensuring the NEXT CENTURY
Dear Father Ryan Community,
For 100 years, Father Ryan has served as more than a school. We have been a home, a community, and a foundation of faith for generations of students and families. Since our founding in 1925, our unwavering commitment to be an experience of the living Gospel while challenging students to reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential remains strong into our next century, thanks to our generous donors.
Across this past century and throughout our 100 Years of Father Ryan celebration, we are deeply aware of the legacy we inherit and the future we are building together. Every classroom experience, every lasting friendship, every championship moment, every artistic performance, every act of service, and every celebration of Mass are possible because of your generosity and belief in Father Ryan.
Your support is not just a financial contribution; it is a reflection of your values, your commitment to excellence in Catholic education, and your desire to ensure that this mission thrives for another century and beyond. It is a living testament to the enduring Father Ryan community to welcome students from all backgrounds, provide them with a transformative education, and send them into the world grounded in faith, knowledge, and service. Your support is what makes our mission possible.
Thank you for being part of our story and for helping us write the next chapter. Together, we are ensuring the next century of Father Ryan.
With deep gratitude,
John Bumpus ’78 President and Chair, Board of Trustees 2023-2025
Paul Davis ’81 President
A strong endowment is essential to Father Ryan now and for generations to come. Built from generous donations and invested wisely, the endowment provides in perpetuity stable, consistent annual financial support through yearly investment earnings.
To underscore our aspiration to provide a Catholic education to any student who desires it and to make Father Ryan accessible to families, 100 percent of the annual Father Ryan endowment income supports tuition assistance.
SECURING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF A FATHER RYAN EDUCATION
Ensuring that every student who desires a Father Ryan education can receive this gift is our most enduring value. Scholarship endowment and tuition assistance funds allow Father Ryan to embody its mission by serving all students, from top scholars to those who learn differently, through a transformative experience and promise that they will be known and loved.
Father Ryan offers need-based, merit-based, and community scholarships to deserving students. There is no direct financial contribution from the Diocese of Nashville to Father Ryan that subsidizes tuition.
A cornerstone objective of the School’s five-year Strategic Plan, Foundation for the Future, launched in July 2024, is strengthening the sustainable financial resources to deliver a best-in-class Catholic education to all accepted students. We have made great strides in our first year of the plan by:
Introducing a single-tuition model that is closer to the cost of educating each Father Ryan student, an approach that aligns with Nashville’s independent schools and national Catholic high schools
Increasing the multi-student discount from 10% to 15%
Increasing tuition assistance to meet a higher percentage of qualified financial need
KEVIN PAUL DAVIS ’09 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
ELMORE C. LAMPE BRIGHT FUTURE SCHOLARSHIP
WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
SPORTS MANAGEMENT MAJOR
MANAGER, WESTERN KENTUCKY FOOTBALL TEAM
“ Father Ryan has been so supportive of me and my family. The financial assistance provided for students allowed me to focus on my education, knowing I was part of a caring community. The level of support from the teachers and administration encourages students to pursue our paths after high school.”
FIVE-YEAR FATHER RYAN ENDOWMENT GROWTH
June 30, 2025
$27,799,281
June 30, 2024
$24,452,705
June 30, 2023
$22,029,677
June 30, 2022
$20,213,633
June 30, 2021
$23,606,823
SAMANTHA SMITH ’25
CHARLIE GREEN ’99 SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP
MARIST UNIVERSITY
PSYCHOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR
PURSUING PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE
“ Scholarships allowed me to receive an education that challenged and changed me, granting me peace, an advanced intellect, a genuine appreciation for the world, and a desire to do good. Tuition assistance is central to Father Ryan’s mission because it allows everyone to feel known and loved.”
Visit fatherryan.org/tuition-accessibility to learn more about tuition assistance.
Named SCHOLARSHIPS
This was a banner year for named endowed scholarships at Father Ryan, one of the foundations of our record-breaking overall giving in 2024-2025. Thank you to our donors who gave to our five new named scholarships this past year. Established with a minimum gift of $50,000, each named fund on our impressive list honors the lasting, lifelong value of the Father Ryan experience and the impact our 14,500-plus graduates have on the world.
JOHN LUCKETT ’79
Created to honor the multi-generations of Lucketts who have attended Father Ryan, including John Luckett ’79 and his seven siblings, the Luckett Family Scholarship, established in 20242025, is a testament to the transformational power of a Catholic education and the community it inspires. Here, John reflects on the power of family and community.
I have watched tuition for a Catholic education rise nationally. serve on the boards of my kids’ Catholic schools in Atlanta, which get only a fraction of support from the Archdiocese. This scholarship represents my first larger, non-Annual Fund gift to Father Ryan. I want to put money to work for Catholic families with demonstrated financial need who want to send their children to Father Ryan. By giving an endowed scholarship, we are pooling our funds to assist in this effort.
THE CLASS OF 1975 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
GREG WATHEN ’75
CLASS OF 1975 REUNION COMMITTEE
BEN ’08, SARAH (WATHEN) DIAZ ’09, LUKE ’23
As the Class of 1975 approached its 50th reunion, Greg Wathen ’75 and several class members discussed how best to commemorate the milestone. With Martina Hailey ’75, Greg worked with fellow members of the reunion committee to establish the class’s endowed scholarship fund, and solicited classmates, a role akin to their Father Ryan days as class cheer and chant leaders.
We had two goals for our class endowed scholarship. One was to help students who have financial needs. At a meeting of our reunion committee, President Paul Davis ’81 explained that the school needs to build up its endowed scholarship funds to meet more of the financial needs for students who want to attend. Our other goal was to honor and remember our 32 classmates who have passed since our graduation.
We have raised $338,000 to date, well beyond the minimum $50,000 needed to create the scholarship. When I first explored the idea,
met with Brooke Reusch, Father Ryan Director of Advancement, who provided names of some potential classmates to contact. I sent out an initial email to those classmates pitching the idea of a class endowed scholarship fund, and there was universal support for the idea. Our reunion committee provided great help in contacting classmates and also made generous contributions to the scholarship fund. We have a great class who cares about Father Ryan and about the success of the school.
All three of my children have gone to Father Ryan. My wife Rose and I had to make sacrifices to send our children to Father Ryan, so we are well aware of the financial challenge required. However, the rewards of a Father Ryan education have more than made up for any sacrifice that we made. They had teachers who cared about them, and they have all gone on to be successful in their endeavors as adults. We also want to see Father Ryan continue to be a leader in Catholic education and on social issues. Part of that is having a student body that is more representative of our population at large. Scholarship funds can help accomplish this goal.
I would love to see every 50th reunion class do this. Right now, the Class of 1975 Memorial Scholarship has the largest amount of funds among the three fully endowed class scholarships.
The genesis for our scholarship is our mother, Mary Teresa (Baltz) Luckett. My dad and the family’s only breadwinner, John Luckett, Sr., died of cancer in 1971 when I was ten and my youngest sibling was three. Seeing how my mother persevered after that was amazing. She always encouraged us to continue our Catholic education. After Dad died, Monsignor Dan Richardson at Christ the King assured Mom that the church would help her, as did Father Ryan. Bobby Davis ’50, father of Paul Davis ’81, was my brother William’s and my baseball coach. He and other Father Ryan and parish dads filled the void for my siblings and me. The Catholic community looked out for us, which made a lasting impression on me.
Mom always said that we had been given gifts and needed to give back. After graduating from Father Ryan, I joined the United States Marine Corps and then headed to Tennessee Tech. Through happenstance and hard work, my professional career, culminating in co-owning an investment advisory firm, surpassed any expectation ever had. Prior generations made it possible for us to get a great Catholic education at Father Ryan. My siblings and I have followed our mother’s example of giving either our time, talent, or treasure. We are proud that our family scholarship is helping generations now and in future.
Faith is everything in my family’s view. We live in a very secular world, and we do not want kids to lose their faith. We need to make our Catholic schools available to our Catholic families. At Father Ryan, loved to start my day at Mass. I got that from my mother, too, who was very prayerful.
From left: John Luckett ’79, Steve Luckett ’69, Lauretta (Luckett) DeMille ’80, Mary Ann Luckett ’77, Neene (Luckett) Stone ’83, Barbie (Luckett) Shahan ’86, Theresa (Luckett) Burdge ’84, William Luckett ’81
Greg, 2nd from left
FATHER RYAN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS
* NEWLY ESTABLISHED IN 2024-2025
Father Ryan High School General Endowment Fund
The Alfred E. Abbey, Jr. ’72 Scholarship
The Father James A. Black ’64 Memorial Scholarship
The Evelyn and Jimmy Bohan Scholarship Fund
The Father Joe Pat Breen ’54 & Father Philip Breen ’57 Scholarship Fund
The Callahan Family Scholarship
The Msgr. Owen Campion ’58 Scholarship*
The Lee and Diane (Wehby) Carter Family Scholarship Fund*
The Joel ’36 and Mary Sue Cheek Scholarship Fund
The Most Rev. David R. Choby ’65 Memorial Scholarship for Vocations
Class of 1967 Memorial Scholarship Fund
Class of 1975 Memorial Scholarship Fund*
Class of 1978 Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Msgr. Pat Connor ’53 Scholarship
The Kevin Paul Davis ’09 Memorial Scholarship
The Saint Katharine Drexel Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Father William J. Fleming ’49 Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Father Charley Giacosa Scholarship Fund
The Charlie Green ’99 Service Scholarship
The H. Richard Hiller, Jr. ’56 Scholarship Fund
The Father Patrick J. Kibby ’73 Scholarship Fund
The Elmore Lampe Bright Future Scholarship
The Jim ’54 and Nancy Langdon Scholarship Fund
The Mary F. Leedham Scholarship
The John P. (Jack) Long ’69 Scholarship
The Luckett Family Scholarship Fund*
The Aurelia Varallo Mariani Scholarship
The McIntyre Family Fund
The Will Miller ’61 Award for Excellence in the Arts
The Spirit of Mike Mayer ’96 Scholarship
The Bishop James Niedergeses ’37 Scholarship Fund
The Jo Copp Oehmig ’48 Scholarship Fund
The Mike Pigott Memorial Scholarship*
The Msgr. George Rohling ’31 Scholarship Fund
The Johnny Shea ’51 Scholarship Fund
The Rhea ’46 and Julia St. John Memorial Scholarship Fund
Safeguarding FATHER RYAN
In 2024-2025, Father Ryan received an extraordinary capital gift to address and significantly enhance the campus’ already state-of-the-art security system and program. An anonymous donor generously gave a $1.5 million gift to help Father Ryan further strengthen its positive, supportive, and safe learning environment for students and adults.
I made this donation because every young student deserves to learn in a safe environment. A school cannot exist without safety—it is the foundation upon which all learning and growth depend. Without it, Father Ryan cannot succeed in its mission to help students reach their spiritual, academic, and personal potential.”
– ANONYMOUS
With this leadership gift, Father Ryan made substantial security enhancements to our campus, including:
PERIMETER AND PHYSICAL SECURITY
Installed secure iron gate fencing with key card access
Installed bulletproofing window protection on windows and doors
TECHNOLOGY AND SURVEILLANCE
Expanded our camera system to more than 130 security cameras across campus
Equipped 75% of campus cameras with ZeroEyes AI gundetection technology, providing rapid threat identification
Upgraded security lighting across campus
COMMUNICATION AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Hosted intensive campus safety training on active shooter response and emergency first aid, led by 25-plus officers from Metro Nashville’s Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.)
Team, the Rapid School Safety Team (R.S.S.T.), our two full-time campus security officers, and on-call event security officers
The Father Ryan mission is sustained by tradition, Catholic ideals, and educational excellence—and by Annual Fund support from loyal donors. In 2024-2025, our donors’ generosity created a record-breaking year and the most raised in Annual Fund support in Father Ryan history.
WHAT DOES THE ANNUAL FUND SUPPORT?
Tuition alone does not cover the full cost of a Father Ryan education. The Annual Fund helps to bridge the nearly 25% gap between tuition charged and the true cost for every student. Annual Fund support touches every part of our students’ experience, from academic resources and faculty development to campus ministry and student programs.
$1,020,678
ASHLEY (WOLFE) AND MICHAEL MCBRIDE, CLASS OF 1999
ANNUAL FUND CLASS REPRESENTATIVES AND PARENTS OF MILES MCBRIDE ’29
We spoke with Ashley (Wolfe) and Michael McBride, who are dedicated, consecutive Annual Fund donors for the past nine years and Class of 1999 Class Reps since 2023. Their son, Miles, began his own Father Ryan journey this fall, a third-generation legacy on his father’s side and fourth generation on his mother’s side. Michael and Ashley also attend Junior Irish events with their two younger sons.
Michael: When we were at Father Ryan, the promise of You Will Be Known. You Will Be Loved.® did not exist as a saying, but it is a very good encapsulation of what is so special about Father Ryan. The relationships that you build here are life-lasting. It is more than academics, more than athletics. It is the community and the family. Paul Davis, who was our English teacher and Dean of Students our senior year, embodies what Father Ryan is better than anyone.
Ashley: We believe in Paul, Frank [Francisco M. Espinosa, Jr., Principal], and the leadership. They continue to lead the school in the right direction. There is a reason that Father Ryan’s doors have been open for a hundred years. An education grounded in Catholic faith values is important to us.
Michael: We support our church and our colleges, but Father Ryan is the number one place that we want to help. We believe in what the school is doing and in the experiences we had there and are confident in what it will mean for our children.
Ashley: For Miles to walk the same halls that Michael and walked and to sit in the same classrooms is like coming home for us. It is like catching up with a good friend. You pick up where you left off. You walk on campus, and everything comes back to you.
Michael: There is also the continuity of the faculty. Ashley and I had the teachers our parents had, and had Coach Carson for track while Ashley had him for Financial Peace. Now, Miles is taking history with Coach Carson. It is common knowledge that Catholic school teachers should be paid more than
they make today. The Annual Fund supports faculty salaries and benefits.
Tuition only covers 74% of the true cost of a Father Ryan education. There is a gap that needs to be covered. The Annual Fund gives flexibility to the school’s leadership to address its needs, whether it be a tuition assistance for students that may not be able to make it work without it, faculty raises, academics, athletics, or whatever it is. We believe that the best way to give is to trust Father Ryan with our unrestricted gifts, rather than being overly specific.
Ashley: The Annual Fund helps in any area that serves the Father Ryan community. It is great to have a fund where support can be delegated wherever there is a need.
Michael: As Class Reps, we follow up our financial actions with our time. Ashley is better at asking for money than I am, but it helps that we ran in different circles in our class. I think we are one of the only married couples who are Class Reps. That goes a long way to show commitment and support for our class and the school.
The McBride Family: Michael ’99, Miles ’29 (in suit), Owen (grey shirt), Hudson (green shirt), and Ashley ’99
FATHER RYAN Giving Day 2025
Our 5th annual, 24-hour Giving Day continued our Irish tradition of inspiring new donors and exciting challenges for a community giving effort.
SECURING THE FUTURE of Father Ryan
Planned gifts include donations through bequests and other forms of estate planning, as well as deferred gifts such as annuities and trusts. Universally recognized as the ultimate generosity because they perpetuate our school’s legacy and mission, planned gifts are a testament to our Tradition of Faith, Knowledge, Service as they ensure Father Ryan’s resources well into the future.
114
61
$24,666,638
RECENT PLANNED GIFTS
FATHER JOHN E. MCMURRY, ’49, P.S.S.
Just days after his 93rd birthday, Father McMurry passed away in March 2024, leaving a legacy of devout and devoted service and spiritual guidance stretching from Nashville and around the world. He left a generous bequest to Father Ryan, one of three new, realized bequests to the school in 2024-2025. A Nashville native and valedictorian of his class at Father Ryan, Father McMurry served as an associate pastor at several parishes in Nashville before joining the Society of St. Sulpice. A sought-after, nationally recognized guide for spiritual direction and spiritual journaling, he served at seminaries in California, Maryland, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
VINCENT T. PHILLIPS, SR., LIFE TRUSTEE
PARENT, VINCE, JR. ’85 AND STEPHEN ’93. GRANDPARENT, ELIZABETH (PHILLIPS)
TUCK ’09 & EMILY (PHILLIPS) CARTER ’10
Vincent T. Phillips, Sr. devoted himself to Nashville’s Catholic community after moving his family here in 1973. Vince, Sr., who passed away in November 2023, served Father Ryan as a member and Chair of the Board of Trustees (1989–1991), leading with deep faith, a tireless work ethic, and strong business insight. He founded a consulting firm and was a founding member and shareholder of what is now Pinnacle Bank, bringing that expertise and dedication to his service at Father Ryan. His planned gift continues his legacy of faith and generosity by supporting The Father James A. Black ’64 Memorial Scholarship, ensuring that future generations of Father Ryan students benefit from his commitment to Catholic education and our school community.
Members of the Fr. Black Planned Giving Society
FATHER JAMES A. BLACK ’64 PLANNED GIVING SOCIETY
Named for Father James A. Black ’64, an outstanding student, faculty member, priest, and one of the first alumni to make a planned gift to the school upon his untimely death from cancer in 1984, the Father Black Society includes any individual who informs Father Ryan of their planned gift intention or realized planned gift.
Betsy & Tim ’68 Adgent
James Allen† ’29
Therese & Joe† ’70 Arbuckle
Susie Baird
Rev. John Baltz, Jr.† ’35
Claire & Larry† ’70 Baltz
Dr. Laura & Lt. Col. (Ret) Everett ’68
Beasley
Msgr. William Bevington† ’42
Erzsebet & Don ’67 Black
The Hon. Melissa Blackburn
Linda & David ’66 Bohan
Col. Leo Bolster† ’35
Alice & Bob† ’47 Bolster
Rev. Philip Breen† ’57
William Breen, Sr.† ’43
Marvin Brown†
Mary Friel Brown†
Mary & Paul ’71 Burd
Dr. John Maguire Burns ’50
Susan Byrd
Jane & Tom† ’62 Callahan
Kathy & Tom† ’55 Carlton
Mary Sue† & Joel† ’36 Cheek
Angie (Jacobson) ’95 & Eric Coffey
Beth & David† Coode
J. Patrick Curley ’82
Glenda (Sexton) & Paul Dahlhauser ’85
Dan Deckbar ’80
Clifford Drake† ’51
Joseph Dreisbach† ’35
Mary† & Bill† Dunigan
Mary Margaret Edwards ’74
Carolyn† & Patrick† Estes
Edna† & Thomas† ’41 Evans
Rev. William Fleming† ’49
Barbara Forbes
Stephen Fowler† ’67
Bobby Francescon ’73
Elaine† & David† Gary
Rev. Charley Giacosa†
Katherine Gilmore†
Edward Glaser, Jr.† ’44
Paula & Matt Harris
Tony Hatchell
Rev. Albert Henkel† ’36
Donna & Richard† ’56 Hiller, Jr.
Msgr. James Hitchcock† ’39
Virginia† & Bernard† ’32 Hofstetter, Jr.
Ellie (Scaglione) ’09 & Eric Hollihan
Nancy† & Walter† ’49 Howell
Vicki (Shandor) ’91 & Gil ’77 Huhlein
Austin Hunt ’76
Doll Hunt†
Rev. Mark Hunt ’85
Msgr. Mike Johnston ’63
Rosemary & Charlie† Kane
Sandi Kelley
Gloria & Louis Kraag
Paul Kuhn ’61
Anne† & Joe ’43 Maddux
Joseph Martin† ’31
Nancy & Phil ’69 Mattingly
Eddie McCabe†
Nadia Lahutsky & Dr. Ed McMahon ’65
Rev. Joseph V. McMahon
Rev. John E. McMurry ’49, P.S.S.† **
Rev. Vincent McMurry ’42, P.S.S.†
Edith† & Louis† ’32 McRedmond
Ann Marie† & Patrick† ’31 McRedmond
Kristy & Joey ’99 Montalbano
Lynne (Mullins) & Chad Moss ’01
Mark Mrzena ’90
Harry Nelson† ’32
Capt. Murray Nicholson† ’51
Most Rev. James Niedergeses† ’37
Jim O’Hara ’68
Jo Copp Oehmig† ’48
Judy (Komisky) ’75 & Jay Orr
Nancy Patton
Edward Pfeiffer† ’29
Vincent T. Phillips† **
Marian & Charles ’66 Pickney
Martha Pierce†
Linda Beth & David ’86 Pritchett
Richard Quick† ’29
Cynthia (Young) Reisz ’76
Teresa & Bernie† ’40 Rohling
Msgr. George Rohling† ’31
J. Donald Ross†
Ann† & Louis† Rottero ’37
Kenneth Rucker†
Bernard Sbuttoni† ’53
Vicky & Lt. Col. Albert† ’51 Scalf
Msgr. Joseph Siener†
Anne & Dan Singelyn
Joan† & Bob† Smith
John Spore ’64
Julia† & James† Rhea ’46 St. John, Jr. **
Sally & Ed Stack
John Staed ’71
Herman Strobl† ’35
Timothy Strobl ’76
Lorna & Jim† ’53 Sullins
John Todd ’75
Rhonda & Kenny Travis
Mike Vaughn ’32
Priscilla & Pat ’69 Watson
Andrew Wehby† ’37
Elizabeth Wehby†
Jack Wehby, Sr.†
Mary & Joe ’69 Williams
Col. (Ret) Chris Winston ’73
JOIN THE FATHER BLACK PLANNED GIVING SOCIETY
Planned gifts come in many forms, but an excellent way for you to support Father Ryan in perpetuity is to leave us a bequest in your will, living trust, or with a codicil. Notify Father Ryan in writing that you have included the school in your estate plans, and then provide only one of the following:
A completed, signed Estate Gift Confirmation Form
A copy of the pertinent provisions in your will or trust
A copy of your IRA beneficiary form naming Father Ryan as beneficiary
A letter from your attorney stating that you have included Father Ryan in your estate plans
A completed Annual Fund Commitment Form with notification that you have included Father Ryan in your estate plans
Talk to your advisor(s) about the financial and tax benefits of a planned gift to Father Ryan. We are happy to share the different planned giving and bequest options, each of which can benefit you and your loved ones and Father Ryan. Visit fatherryan.org/give/planned-giving for details.
FATHER RYAN Financials
The Father Ryan High School annual budget of $24,827,495, with an additional $2.1 million awarded in tuition assistance from the annual return from our endowment, supports our students, faculty, and staff. The key to a balanced budget and thriving school community and culture is the ongoing generosity of our alumni, parents, and friends through Annual Fund, capital, and planned gifts.
We remain disciplined stewards of Father Ryan’s budget and endowment investments. The school’s administration and Board of Trustees set the investment and distribution policies and annual budget, which are approved by the Board of Trustees. Father Ryan is audited annually by an independent accounting firm.
REVENUE
$25,107,171
Tuition and Fees Fundraising Auxiliary Revenue Endowment State Grants
Dividends and Interest
Other
2024-2025 EXPENDITURES
$25,871,271
Program ServicesAcademic and Auxiliary
Support Services (including management and general, advancement, information technology, and facilities)
Tuition Assistance
Visit fatherryan.org/give to make a gift.
Please contact us to find out how you can be part of our next century of giving at Father Ryan.
Brooke Reusch Director of Advancement reuschb@fatherryan.org
Sara (Carter) Atwood ’04 Alumni Engagement & Outreach Manager atwoods@fatherryan.org
(Jacobson) Coffey ’95 Annual Fund Manager coffeya@fatherryan.org
