The 1950s and '60s were considered the "Contest Era" in America, and no one in the country was better at creating a prize-winning jingle or short poem than Evelyn Ryan. The wife of an alcoholic husband and the mother of 10 growing children, Evelyn entered contests to help stave off poverty for her family. She won a stunning number of times, averaging one prize every four times she.. Author: Terry Ryan Review: Cathie H. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio is a wonderful story of strength and courage in the face of serious adversity. It is a true story of the Ryan family from Defiance. Evelyn Ryan is the hero of the tale. She was the mother of ten children. Her husband Kelly Ryan was an alcoholic who drank away a good portion of his small salary. Evelyn supplemented the.
By Brad Dison Evelyn Ryan worked hard helping her husband, Leo, provide for their struggling family. Evelyn and Leo married in 1936 and had ten children together. Since 1943, Leo had been employed by the Defiance Screw Machine Products, but his salary usually failed to meet the needs of such a large family. Leo purportedly turned to alcohol…. Her daughter Terry Ryan wrote about her mother and her contests wins in a book titled: 'The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. In 2005 a biographical film based on Terry Ryan's book starred Julianne Moore as Evelyn Ryan, Woody Harrelson as Leo "Kelly" Ryan, and Laura Dern as Dorothy Schaefer.