THE first reporter at the scene of the Lockerbie Disaster has died, aged 82.
Frank Ryan reported, as a district reporter, from Dumfries for the Daily Record.
Says the paper, he is remembered by former Record colleagues as “one of the nicest men in the business”.
It adds: “Frank’s wife Avril, who wrote the TV column for the Daily Record, said: ‘Frank was with the Record for 38 years, then decided to go freelance. Lockerbie happened just five months later.'”
Charlie Gall quotes local BBC journalist and author, Giancarlo Rinaldi, saying: “Frank was the first man to a lot of stories. You’d turn up and Frank would already be there having spoken to everybody and have the story.”
Send your own tribute, here.
Stephen Jardine: “Growing up in Dumfries and wanting to be a journalist, Frank Ryan’s byline was a link with the big outside world.
“He was a proper operator, always first and always with the angle everyone else wanted. He knew everyone in the area and had that essential of getting the story but keeping people happy at the same time.
“When I met him, I was delighted to discover he was also a charming and generous man.”
