Merita Ryan: Expect the unexpected
In 1980, Merita Ryan was considering several job offers. She chose to come work in human resources at McGill because she'd heard how progressive it was in its labour relations policies.
She got a rude shock when she began her job as an area personnel officer in physical plant and her boss told her, "I didn't ask for you and I don't want you here." She learned that the other managers in the department held regular meetings, to which she was never invited.
"Their attitude was, 'What could a woman possibly know about the nuts and bolts kind of work of physical plant?'" says Ryan. "One thing I did know was that I had to find a way to break the ice."
She says her chance came at a softball practice. "They needed women for the team and told me they would teach me how to play." She agreed without mentioning that she had played softball for years, in fact all the way to the national level.
She acted dumb at first, holding the bat upside down and hitting limply. Finally, she stepped to the plate, drew laughter by waving the fielders back, and proceeded to "crack one" half a mile into centre field.
That swing of the bat changed her colleagues' attitudes. "They realized they were wrong to assume what I did or didn't know," says Ryan. "After that, I became one of the boys."
It's still wise not to make assumptions about the 50-something Ryan. As she talks about her leisure pursuits you might decide she's only interested in sports. Besides softball, she plays hockey, golf and tennis, coaches basketball, and loves to ski, rollerblade, cycle, scuba dive and horseback ride. Then she tells you about her interest in poetry and music ("I even scratch a little guitar"). Another sharp turn and she's discussing her enthusiasm for motorcycles and her purchase this summer of two horses.
Finally, she turns to woodworking ("I have a room full of power tools") and renovating houses. This last pastime tested her determination a few years ago.
"I was helping a friend work on his house when a wall collapsed. My legs were crushed and the doctors told me it was unlikely I would walk again. That was in April, and I told them I would be skating by the time the women's competitive hockey season started in September. By August, I still couldn't walk, but I was on the ice for the first game!"
Now a senior compensation officer in the Department of Human Resources, she works as part of a team on policies like pay equity and merit pay. Both policies have proved contentious in recent years and Ryan says the tough struggle to get back on her feet has helped her in her job.
"That kind of experience really keeps things in perspective."
Diana Grier Ayton
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