RENEE MONTAGNE, Host:
Time again for StoryCorps. The shooting rampage in Tucson that targeted Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords brought back painful memories for Erin Ryan. She's the youngest daughter of the late Leo Ryan. He was the California Congressman who traveled to Guyana in 1978 to investigate the settlement in Jonestown, which was built by cult leader Jim Jones. When Congressman Ryan tried to bring cult members back to the U.S. he was gunned down. Eric Ryan remembers it wasn't the first time her father took risks in search of answers.
ERIN RYAN: I've always said to myself that I was lucky that he was my dad, and I was lucky to have had him for the years that I had him. And that's what you have to hold onto.
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MONTAGNE: Erin Ryan for StoryCorps in Washington, D.C. She's now a lawyer who works for the Congresswoman who holds her father's old seat. Her recording will be archived at the American Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress. And you can subscribe to the StoryCorps podcast at npr.org.