No herbalist has impacted me more deeply and profoundly than Ryan Drum.

His single drop crystallized so much in me. (Chemists will understand. If you don't, ask one about saturated solutions.)

Decades ago, at Breitenbush Hot Springs, my love relationship with Ryan began. Not a day has passed since that I have not felt his love for me and mine for him.

I visited him and Waldron briefly. He fed me duckling. We harvested seaweed. I slept in the drying shed. We swapped stories when we had the breath. (Lugging buckets of wet seaweed uphill took my breath away.) Ryan and I intersected, shared, loved, and lived with green attitudes we thought we were "alone" in.

Because of Ryan, I dared to be a Simpler. It's not just me saying "one at a time," Ryan hears the same message.

Because of Ryan, I dared to speak in "plant." His attunement to nature was so finely wrought, so subtle, so vigorous that it convinced me I was hearing the plants.

Because of Ryan, I dared to demand respect for myself, for women, the plants. His unflinching, unconditional respect for woman/nature/earth made me bolder.

Because of Ryan, I know I am held in a chain of green consciousness without beginning or end.

I hereby declare Ryan Drum to be the patron saint of the Red Clover Conference.

No one loves her more than Ryan. Being cut off from her by the Nature Conservancy seemed to me to be one of the great loses of his life. And I believe he was drawn to Waldron because of her.

Let’s honor Ryan's special relationship with red clover by writing down — or making a video of — anything you remember Ryan saying, sharing, teaching about red clover.

I would that we had Ryan and red clover in his own words, first hand, but I'm not too proud to accept second hand. Your hand. Your recollections of Ryan sharing his love of red clover. I accept them.

Search your memory banks. Mine your dream caches. Find your old class notes.

Let’s hear Ryan in our own words if we can’t have his.

Your words and short videos will be shown at the Red Clover Conference and create a loving red clover heart for Ryan's ease, to pillow his head as he becomes everything, as he becomes green blessings. I love you Ryan.

Susun Weed - December 2023

From Vike Sandiford

 The first time I heard 'Ryan Drum' speak was at the International Herbal Symposium at Wheaton College, not sure if the year -pre 2000 I think. I bought kelp from him after that because I knew it and any other herbs would be of the highest quality, harvested and cared for with love. Ryan was a surprise substitute teacher when I took a nine month herbal course with Gail Ulrich from 1999 to 2000. I bought some Hawthorne berries from him in 2003 and got this “I love you” card. I’ve kept on the shelf in my pantry these 20 years, seeing it every now and then and being reminded to be the love I want to see in the world. Ryan helped me and many others feel the love and pass it on. ❤️