INFORMS Open Forum

If you have attended an INFORMS meeting over the past several years, you have likely had contact with Peter Cryan – a bright, inexhaustible, funny and kind man; bald and with a moustache – who seemingly had the entire conference program committed to memory and seemingly knew when and where every committee meeting was taking place. And if you were in the exhibit hall 10 minutes before it was to close for the day, you heard him politely inform you over the speaker system that it was time to leave – as the lights flickered on and off. If you made the mistake of ignoring his entreaties, you were likely politely ushered out of the exhibit hall personally by Peter, which made him very popular with the exhibitors at the end of a long and difficult day.  

Peter J. Cryan, a mainstay of INFORMS conferences, died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Aug. 4 from complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Prior to working on INFORMS events in a variety of roles over the past 20+ years, Peter worked in several organizations in a dizzying array of positions. He served in the Peace Corps, working with fishing cooperatives and credit unions in Puerto Montt, Chile. (His stories about the six months he spent returning to Boston by bus, boat, prop plane and motorcycle would make Steve Martin and John Candy of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" fame blush.)  

He served in the U.S. Army, rising from the rank of 2nd lieutenant to captain and earning a Bronze Star for his service with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Peter then worked in healthcare administration at Children's Hospital Boston. Ultimately, he and his wife Teresa (who we all know as Terry) founded and co-led a small business, Cryan Associates, that managed professional associations. In retirement, Peter continued to do consulting work as a trade show manager. 

Peter was a longtime member of the Sudbury, MA chapter of Rotary International and a Paul Harris Fellow. He coached several youth sports teams, and he co-led several church-mission trips to Honduras. He also volunteered with Mobile Ministries, a nonprofit organization that supports the underserved and homeless of New Bedford, MA.  

Peter is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 52 years, Teresa (Vercollone) Cryan; son Stephen and his wife Sarah Blagden; son Phillip and his wife Loyola Colebeck; grandchildren Brodie, Patrick, Flora and Lily; brother David Cryan and his wife Lucille; and countless other family members and friends (including me) who loved him. In true Peter Cryan style, the invitation to the Celebration of Peter's Life indicated that all were welcome and asked that each attendee wear a mask and colorful attire. I am sure that those of you who had the good fortune to know him will agree that this was vintage Peter.  

As I reread what I have written, I cannot help but notice how many times I referred to "service" in describing Peter. This pleases me because it really describes Peter; he loved to help others and did so readily throughout his life. Peter touched the lives of countless people, and we will all miss him terribly.  

I suggest that those of us who knew Peter get together one evening during the upcoming INFORMS Annual Meeting in Anaheim to remember Peter and share our favorite stories about him. I will schedule a date and time and find a location for this gathering (likely a nearby bar or pub) – please contact me at jcochran@cba.ua.edu if you would like to join us. If we cannot meet face to face, I will schedule a Zoom gathering for us during the conference. 

Finally, please note that if you would like to make a charitable contribution in Peter's honor, you may make a donation in his name to Mobile Ministries. Make your check payable to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth with "Mobile Ministries" noted, and mail your check to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth, 17 Middle St., Dartmouth, MA 02748. 

If you have attended an INFORMS meeting over the past several years, you have likely had contact with Peter Cryan – a bright, inexhaustible, funny and kind man; bald and with a moustache – who seemingly had the entire conference program committed to memory and seemingly knew when and where every committee meeting was taking place. And if you were in the exhibit hall 10 minutes before it was to close for the day, you heard him politely inform you over the speaker system that it was time to leave – as the lights flickered on and off. If you made the mistake of ignoring his entreaties, you were likely politely ushered out of the exhibit hall personally by Peter, which made him very popular with the exhibitors at the end of a long and difficult day.  

Peter J. Cryan, a mainstay of INFORMS conferences, died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Aug. 4 from complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Prior to working on INFORMS events in a variety of roles over the past 20+ years, Peter worked in several organizations in a dizzying array of positions. He served in the Peace Corps, working with fishing cooperatives and credit unions in Puerto Montt, Chile. (His stories about the six months he spent returning to Boston by bus, boat, prop plane and motorcycle would make Steve Martin and John Candy of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" fame blush.)  

He served in the U.S. Army, rising from the rank of 2nd lieutenant to captain and earning a Bronze Star for his service with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Peter then worked in healthcare administration at Children's Hospital Boston. Ultimately, he and his wife Teresa (who we all know as Terry) founded and co-led a small business, Cryan Associates, that managed professional associations. In retirement, Peter continued to do consulting work as a trade show manager. 

Peter was a longtime member of the Sudbury, MA chapter of Rotary International and a Paul Harris Fellow. He coached several youth sports teams, and he co-led several church-mission trips to Honduras. He also volunteered with Mobile Ministries, a nonprofit organization that supports the underserved and homeless of New Bedford, MA.  

Peter is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 52 years, Teresa (Vercollone) Cryan; son Stephen and his wife Sarah Blagden; son Phillip and his wife Loyola Colebeck; grandchildren Brodie, Patrick, Flora and Lily; brother David Cryan and his wife Lucille; and countless other family members and friends (including me) who loved him. In true Peter Cryan style, the invitation to the Celebration of Peter's Life indicated that all were welcome and asked that each attendee wear a mask and colorful attire. I am sure that those of you who had the good fortune to know him will agree that this was vintage Peter.  

As I reread what I have written, I cannot help but notice how many times I referred to "service" in describing Peter. This pleases me because it really describes Peter; he loved to help others and did so readily throughout his life. Peter touched the lives of countless people, and we will all miss him terribly.  

I suggest that those of us who knew Peter get together one evening during the upcoming INFORMS Annual Meeting in Anaheim to remember Peter and share our favorite stories about him. I will schedule a date and time and find a location for this gathering (likely a nearby bar or pub) – please contact me at jcochran@cba.ua.edu if you would like to join us. If we cannot meet face to face, I will schedule a Zoom gathering for us during the conference. 

Finally, please note that if you would like to make a charitable contribution in Peter's honor, you may make a donation in his name to Mobile Ministries. Make your check payable to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth with "Mobile Ministries" noted, and mail your check to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth, 17 Middle St., Dartmouth, MA 02748. 

If you have attended an INFORMS meeting over the past several years, you have likely had contact with Peter Cryan – a bright, inexhaustible, funny and kind man; bald and with a moustache – who seemingly had the entire conference program committed to memory and seemingly knew when and where every committee meeting was taking place. And if you were in the exhibit hall 10 minutes before it was to close for the day, you heard him politely inform you over the speaker system that it was time to leave – as the lights flickered on and off. If you made the mistake of ignoring his entreaties, you were likely politely ushered out of the exhibit hall personally by Peter, which made him very popular with the exhibitors at the end of a long and difficult day.  

Peter J. Cryan, a mainstay of INFORMS conferences, died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Aug. 4 from complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Prior to working on INFORMS events in a variety of roles over the past 20+ years, Peter worked in several organizations in a dizzying array of positions. He served in the Peace Corps, working with fishing cooperatives and credit unions in Puerto Montt, Chile. (His stories about the six months he spent returning to Boston by bus, boat, prop plane and motorcycle would make Steve Martin and John Candy of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" fame blush.)  

He served in the U.S. Army, rising from the rank of 2nd lieutenant to captain and earning a Bronze Star for his service with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Peter then worked in healthcare administration at Children's Hospital Boston. Ultimately, he and his wife Teresa (who we all know as Terry) founded and co-led a small business, Cryan Associates, that managed professional associations. In retirement, Peter continued to do consulting work as a trade show manager. 

Peter was a longtime member of the Sudbury, MA chapter of Rotary International and a Paul Harris Fellow. He coached several youth sports teams, and he co-led several church-mission trips to Honduras. He also volunteered with Mobile Ministries, a nonprofit organization that supports the underserved and homeless of New Bedford, MA.  

Peter is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 52 years, Teresa (Vercollone) Cryan; son Stephen and his wife Sarah Blagden; son Phillip and his wife Loyola Colebeck; grandchildren Brodie, Patrick, Flora and Lily; brother David Cryan and his wife Lucille; and countless other family members and friends (including me) who loved him. In true Peter Cryan style, the invitation to the Celebration of Peter's Life indicated that all were welcome and asked that each attendee wear a mask and colorful attire. I am sure that those of you who had the good fortune to know him will agree that this was vintage Peter.  

As I reread what I have written, I cannot help but notice how many times I referred to "service" in describing Peter. This pleases me because it really describes Peter; he loved to help others and did so readily throughout his life. Peter touched the lives of countless people, and we will all miss him terribly.  

I suggest that those of us who knew Peter get together one evening during the upcoming INFORMS Annual Meeting in Anaheim to remember Peter and share our favorite stories about him. I will schedule a date and time and find a location for this gathering (likely a nearby bar or pub) – please contact me at jcochran@cba.ua.edu if you would like to join us. If we cannot meet face to face, I will schedule a Zoom gathering for us during the conference. 

Finally, please note that if you would like to make a charitable contribution in Peter's honor, you may make a donation in his name to Mobile Ministries. Make your check payable to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth with "Mobile Ministries" noted, and mail your check to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth, 17 Middle St., Dartmouth, MA 02748. 

If you have attended an INFORMS meeting over the past several years, you have likely had contact with Peter Cryan – a bright, inexhaustible, funny and kind man; bald and with a moustache – who seemingly had the entire conference program committed to memory and seemingly knew when and where every committee meeting was taking place. And if you were in the exhibit hall 10 minutes before it was to close for the day, you heard him politely inform you over the speaker system that it was time to leave – as the lights flickered on and off. If you made the mistake of ignoring his entreaties, you were likely politely ushered out of the exhibit hall personally by Peter, which made him very popular with the exhibitors at the end of a long and difficult day.  

Peter J. Cryan, a mainstay of INFORMS conferences, died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Aug. 4 from complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Prior to working on INFORMS events in a variety of roles over the past 20+ years, Peter worked in several organizations in a dizzying array of positions. He served in the Peace Corps, working with fishing cooperatives and credit unions in Puerto Montt, Chile. (His stories about the six months he spent returning to Boston by bus, boat, prop plane and motorcycle would make Steve Martin and John Candy of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" fame blush.)  

He served in the U.S. Army, rising from the rank of 2nd lieutenant to captain and earning a Bronze Star for his service with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Peter then worked in healthcare administration at Children's Hospital Boston. Ultimately, he and his wife Teresa (who we all know as Terry) founded and co-led a small business, Cryan Associates, that managed professional associations. In retirement, Peter continued to do consulting work as a trade show manager. 

Peter was a longtime member of the Sudbury, MA chapter of Rotary International and a Paul Harris Fellow. He coached several youth sports teams, and he co-led several church-mission trips to Honduras. He also volunteered with Mobile Ministries, a nonprofit organization that supports the underserved and homeless of New Bedford, MA.  

Peter is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 52 years, Teresa (Vercollone) Cryan; son Stephen and his wife Sarah Blagden; son Phillip and his wife Loyola Colebeck; grandchildren Brodie, Patrick, Flora and Lily; brother David Cryan and his wife Lucille; and countless other family members and friends (including me) who loved him. In true Peter Cryan style, the invitation to the Celebration of Peter's Life indicated that all were welcome and asked that each attendee wear a mask and colorful attire. I am sure that those of you who had the good fortune to know him will agree that this was vintage Peter.  

As I reread what I have written, I cannot help but notice how many times I referred to "service" in describing Peter. This pleases me because it really describes Peter; he loved to help others and did so readily throughout his life. Peter touched the lives of countless people, and we will all miss him terribly.  

I suggest that those of us who knew Peter get together one evening during the upcoming INFORMS Annual Meeting in Anaheim to remember Peter and share our favorite stories about him. I will schedule a date and time and find a location for this gathering (likely a nearby bar or pub) – please contact me at jcochran@cba.ua.edu if you would like to join us. If we cannot meet face to face, I will schedule a Zoom gathering for us during the conference. 

Finally, please note that if you would like to make a charitable contribution in Peter's honor, you may make a donation in his name to Mobile Ministries. Make your check payable to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth with "Mobile Ministries" noted, and mail your check to Congregational Church of South Dartmouth, 17 Middle St., Dartmouth, MA 02748.