Jack Ryan (designer)

John W. "Jack" Ryan (November 12, 1926 – August 13, 1991) was an American designer noted for creating the popular image of the Barbie doll, Hot Wheels, Chatty Cathy and being the sixth husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor. He had a brother, Jim Ryan, who also was an inventor.

Career

Ryan graduated from Yale University, worked for Raytheon as an engineer, and then moved to Mattel where he was head of research and development.

Jack Ryan worked at Raytheon as an engineer designing Sparrow and Hawk missiles. Mattel hired him for his "space-aged savvy" and knowledge of materials.

Ryan was an eccentric man. For example, he purchased a mansion (known as The Castle) shortly after he began working for Mattel. He installed many creations and inventions into The Castle. He would also start many that were left unfinished. After Mattel started lowering his royalties, Jack had to sell The Castle for under two million dollars.

Ryan did a lot for Mattel, and he considered himself the third in charge next to the Handlers (Ruth and her husband Elliot) who were Mattel's founders and owners. Ruth Handler had put him in charge of re-thinking the design of a German doll called, Bild Lili to create the Barbie doll. Mattel eventually obtained the rights to the Lili dolls and Barbie went on to become the best selling doll of all time.

Jack Ryan

Jack Ryan may refer to:

Jack Ryan (streetball player)

Jack Ryan, aka "Black Jack", aka "Water", is an American streetball player from Brooklyn, New York. Ryan's basketball exploits began at John Jay High School, where, as a senior, he averaged 26 ppg. Ryan later took his game to East 5th St. Park in Brooklyn, where he mastered the tricks and shots he became well known for. In his first season in a recreational league at West 4th, Ryan played one game against former Detroit Piston Phil Sellers and scored 44 points.

Ryan is most well known for his very proficient 3-point shooting. According to an article written by Bobbito Garcia about Ryan in Slam Magazine Streetball Special Collector's Issue, Chris Mullin once described Jack as the best shooter he'd ever seen who hadn't played in the NBA. The article also states Peter Vecsey got Ryan a tryout with the New Jersey Nets in 1990, but was the second-to-last man cut, ending Ryan's NBA aspirations. In May 2003 Ryan was named as one of "Slam Magazines Greatest Playground Ballers of All Time." Ryan further proved his mastery of the 3-point shot when he won the 2005 City Slam 3-Point Shooting Championships, which aired on ESPN. In a close final, Ryan edged out fellow streetball sharpshooter Deshun "Father Time" Jackson to take the title. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHijMfhV1jQ

Jack Ryan (politician)

John Clemens "Jack" Ryan (born October 6, 1959) is a former investment banker and American politician who was a candidate in the 2004 U.S. Senate race in Illinois. In 2000, he retired as an active partner at Goldman Sachs to teach at Hales Franciscan High School, a private, 4-year Roman Catholic high school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.

His 2004 campaign for the Senate, against Barack Obama, received widespread media attention for the disclosure of sealed custody documents stemming from his divorce from actress Jeri Ryan. The unsealing of those documents, detailing allegations that Ryan had pressured his wife to perform sexual acts in public, led to Ryan's withdrawal from the campaign.

In March 2005, Jack launched 22nd Century Media, a news media company dedicated to providing hyper-local news in both print and digital media formats.

Life and career

Ryan spent his childhood in Wilmette, Illinois, the son of Helen Marie (Bruns) and Donald Robert Ryan, a managing partner at a trade and clearing house. One of six siblings, he attended New Trier High School. He graduated from high school in 1977 and went on to Dartmouth College, where he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his JD from Harvard Law School, with honors. After this, he worked at Casa Juan Diego, a refugee camp for Latinos fleeing the Central American civil wars. He worked for Goldman Sachs as an investment banker and eventual partner, first in New York City, and then in the Chicago branch.