{"id":2967,"date":"2022-09-16T19:30:13","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T19:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=2967"},"modified":"2022-09-16T19:30:13","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T19:30:13","slug":"chicago-firefighter-honored-with-posthumous-degree-from-siu-carbondale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=2967","title":{"rendered":"Chicago firefighter honored with posthumous degree from SIU Carbondale"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Ronald Regan Jr\u2019s daughter, Qianna, is pictured with (from left) SIU College of Health and Human Sciences Dean Robert Morgan, SIU System President Dan Mahony, Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt, SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane, and Lindsay Laycoax, lead site coordinator for SIU\u2019s Public Safety Management program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SIU Foundation Media Services<\/strong><\/p>\n

CHICAGO \u2013 Chicago Fire Department Capt. Ronald Regan Jr. was honored Friday morning with a posthumous degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.<\/p>\n

Regan passed away Dec. 19, 2021, at the age of 58 after a bout with COVID-19. He was just one semester away from earning his bachelor\u2019s degree in public safety management.<\/p>\n

During a ceremony in front of the Chicago Fire Academy, Regan was remembered by his fellow firefighters, family members, friends, and SIU representatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cRon was not just a firefighter or captain, he was a friend,\u201d Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said. \u201cHe did so much for everybody else. He never thought about himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane, SIU System President Dan Mahony, and College of Health and Human Sciences Dean Robert Morgan presented the diploma.<\/p>\n

\u201cFaculty members who knew Ron say he was very outgoing and full of life,\u201d Chancellor Lane said. \u201cWe hope this diploma will provide his family and friends with a measure of comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n

A dedicated family man and respected firefighter, Regan made a positive impression on everyone he met.<\/p>\n

\u201cRon embodied both the spirit of a firefighter and the spirit of a Saluki,\u201d Chancellor Lane said. \u201cHis commitment to bravery, along with the vision, tenacity, curiosity, and compassion of Saluki, form a remarkable combination worthy of celebration and remembrance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regan\u2019s wife, Cheryl, was unable to attend the ceremony, so his daughter, Qianna, accepted his diploma and spoke on the family\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad inspired me, and it\u2019s amazing to see how he inspired others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Regan started his career in the Chicago Park District, where he built successful swim teams. He later moved on to the Chicago Fire Department Academy, from which he graduated in 1996. He began his career at Truck 40. Over the years, he rose through the ranks of firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, and captain.<\/p>\n

\u201cRon is definitely gone too soon,\u201d Nance-Holt said. \u201cHe was so very special. He wanted this degree so much. I know he\u2019s watching us today with a smile.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SIU Foundation Media Services CHICAGO \u2013 Chicago Fire Department Capt. Ronald Regan Jr. was honored Friday morning with a posthumous degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Regan passed away Dec. 19, 2021, at the age of 58 after a bout with COVID-19. He was just one semester away from earning his bachelor\u2019s degree in public … Continue reading Chicago firefighter honored with posthumous degree from SIU Carbondale<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-higher-education","category-illinois-higher-education","category-siu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2969,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967\/revisions\/2969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}