新澳门六合彩内幕信息

IN MEMORIAM: Dan Ransom Remembered as Supportive, Inclusive

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Dan Ransom poses for photograph
Dan Ransom, pictured in his portrait as 2023-24 chair for Staff Assembly. Ransom, who worked in the School of Veterinary Medicine, died in July. (Scott Loewen-Towner/新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis)

Dan Ransom, a staff member celebrated for his selflessness and mentorship and who was described as a devoted father, died July 27. He was 48 years old.

Ransom was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and was one of eight children. He attended high school in the Sacramento area and held several software development and IT positions in the region before joining the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis in 2017. In 2020 he joined the School of Veterinary Medicine as director of application development.

Supporting colleagues 

His colleagues in the School of Veterinary Medicine said Ransom was a mentor, and a knowledgeable and effective employee. They praised his inclusiveness and recalled events designed to recognize others. 

鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 silly, but I think one of my favorite things was how Dan would coordinate regular 鈥榮howcase鈥 events for his team to be able to show off the work that they were doing,鈥 said Chris Brandt, chief information officer for the School of Veterinary Medicine. 鈥淎t the end of each of these sessions, Dan would host a short trivia/quiz session on specific IT topics (security, privacy, etc.) as a competition for the folks on the call. The winner would get a fun little plastic thumbs-up trophy. He always took advantage of the time we had together to share information in a fun way.鈥

Nicholas Ilacqua, a programmer supervisor for the school, said Ransom also built community during the 2020 onset of remote work by sharing riddles and puzzles through Microsoft Teams. Ilacqua said he also learned a lot from Ransom about 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, not just because of 鈥渢he crazy amount of info he had stowed away,鈥 but because Ransom had a genuine desire to help people.

Brandon Edwards, also a programmer supervisor in Veterinary Medicine, described Ransom as a 鈥済reat listener,鈥 inclusive, kind and empathetic. 

鈥淗e was a great sounding board and mentor, he would offer helpful advice, and just generally made my day better whenever I talked with him,鈥 Edwards said.

Stepping up as Staff Assembly chair

When Lauren McDiarmid was chair of Staff Assembly, the group鈥檚 chair-elect left the university. Ransom stepped into the role without hesitation, she said. 

鈥淗is willingness to take on this challenge without skipping a beat was a testament to his dedication,鈥 McDiarmid said.

OTHER REMEMBRANCES

Once Ransom took the lead of Staff Assembly as its 2023-24 chair, he helped to create a that wowed McDiarmid.

鈥淚 remember reviewing the initial draft with him and being astounded when he mentioned that it had only taken him a couple of days to put together the data analysis from multiple years of salary data,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e had an extraordinary ability to interpret data clearly and efficiently, making it accessible for decision-making.鈥

McDiarmid also remembered Ransom for being less serious, like when he played an instrumental version of Coolio鈥檚 鈥淕angsta鈥檚 Paradise鈥 while he waited for callers to join the first general Staff Assembly meeting he led as chair.

It was also clear to McDiarmid how important family was to Ransom: He 鈥渟poke about the importance of 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis as an employer that supports a family-friendly workplace for all types of family structures,鈥 she said. 

A family man

Dan Ransom in commencement regalia poses with son
Dan Ransom, who earned a master鈥檚 degree from California State University, Fullerton, in 2019, posed for a photo with his son Zach. (Courtesy Judy Ransom)

Ransom didn鈥檛 talk much about work when he was at home. There, he was focused on his family, said Judy Ransom, his wife of 19 years.

鈥淗e just wanted to make us happy 鈥 that was his goal in life,鈥 she said, describing his attitude as: 鈥溾榃hatever you guys want, we鈥檒l do it.鈥欌

As a family, the Ransoms and their boys, ages 15 and 6, traveled to Portugal, Spain, Bermuda and more.

鈥淗e really enjoyed showing our boys all the different cultures,鈥 Judy Ransom said. 鈥淗e was big on that 鈥 Appreciating everything that鈥檚 out there.鈥

And when they were home, Ransom could usually be found in his home office, a room lined with science fiction and history books.

鈥淚f he wasn鈥檛 reading a book, he was listening to a book,鈥 Judy Ransom said.

Dan and Judy Ransom met shopping for watches at the Roseville Galleria in 2004 and were married the following year. 

Ransom was a planner with a cool head, his wife said. When the family traveled, he would arrange everything and she would just need to pack a suitcase. He also helped her through stressful situations by listening and reassuring, she said. And he left behind an organized collection of information about financial accounts and other details, easing the burden of his passing.

鈥淗e鈥檚 helping keep us strong,鈥 Judy Ransom said. 鈥淚 hear him. I do what Dan would do.鈥

A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 24 at the Wheatland Community Center, 101 C Street in Wheatland. It was originally scheduled for Aug. 17 but has been rescheduled.

Media Resources

Cody Kitaura is the editor of Dateline 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and can be reached by email or at 530-752-1932.

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