Inside the Archives: Bun Ryan

Bun’s skills as a pitcher are a thing of legend in Los Alamos. He was the pitcher for the five-man softball team, the Pierotti’s Clowns. The Clowns played for charity against nine-man teams and relied heavily on Ryan’s 100-plus miles an hour fastball to hold their own. In June of 1984, one of the softball fields at North Mesa was dedicated as “Bun Ryan” field. Bun Ryan gave Los Alamos so much more.

Ryan is also known for receiving the distinguished service award for his work starting Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Employee Assistance Program that focused on counseling employees and families through substance abuse recovery. Bun joined Alcoholics Anonymous in 1966 and was devoted to helping others recover from substance abuse through his experiences which he shared publicly.

On top of Bun Ryan’s contributions in the military, and then to Los Alamos through his pitching skills and investment in substance abuse recovery programs, he was an active member of the Democratic Party and was the Democratic candidate for State Representative in 1994. Bun was involved in multiple facets of Los Alamos and helped shape who we are as a community today.

Come #InsideTheArchives for a small peek at the impact Bernard “Bullet Bun” L. Ryan had on the community of Los Alamos and our history.

The other page reads:

“The dominant pitcher—Their lineup was filled with intelligent, exceptionally gifted athletes. However, the acknowledged superstar was a tall Irishman, Bun Ryan, who was a dominating, nearly unhittable pitcher. Ryan is especially proud of his seven appearances in the nine-man World Softball tournament 1954–1960.

“After winning decorations for World War II service in the field artillery in New Guinea and the Phillipines, Bun appreciates the delicious irony of living in the bomb-making city that he is certain saved his life in the Pacific. Bun moved from Taos to Los Alamos to accept a position at the National Laboratory. A Leadville, Colorado native, Bun became a force in Los Alamos politics, often fighting the quixotic fight of a Democratic liberal in a fiercely conservative Republican county. He has received an appropriate reward for his public service: a local softball field is now ‘Bun Ryan Field.’
“Firing smoke and possessing pinpoint control, Bun allowed his teammates the opportunity to clown. But Bun played it straight and hard, never employing illegal pitches as did megastar Eddie Feigner of the ‘King and His Court’ fame.
“Clowning and winning—Wearing expensive theatrical makeup and sporting first-class uniforms, the Clowns never played the Harlem Globetrotters to the local Washington Generals. There were entertainment bits, but games were on the level and often hard-fought. Speed-demon second baseman Jim Higgins remembers that the Clowns were successful because they clowned mostly on defense while Bun struck everyone out. Lou was the catalyst for the acts and Jim remembers that even the inmates at the state pen, who didn’t like to lose, responded to Lou’s gambits by riding their own side.
“Lou modeled his acts directly on those he’d seen in the circus. The Clowns introduced to the diamond such acts as pitching blindfolded, leaving the field, hitting the string and mush ball(s), lying in front of the pitcher, kneeling to hit, and using the big bat that was actually a lightweight one. And from the beginning, the Clowns were a family affair with Lou breaking in two of his young sons as batboys, bench players, and, of course, clowns.

“He is proud that his team influenced others. The famous touring team the ‘Queen and Her Maids’ (whom the Clowns easily handled) went on to create their own clowning strategies after their frustrating experiences with the Clowns.
“As long as it was a charity affair, the Clowns accepted all comers, wandering far afield in the Inter-Mountain Range states. However, most of the games were played in New Mexico against such colorful teams as the Tierra Amarilla Bombers, the Los Alamos Monitor Newshounds, the Kirtland Air Force Base Flyers, the Santa Fe Penitentiary Rocks,”

“Being a stray cat is no easy life. I lived on lizards, mice, leftovers in dumpsters, or whatever else I could scrounge up. Shelter was another problem, especially in winter. Northern New Mexico is sunny, but after that sun sets, it gets darn cold. I managed to find warm places under bridges or in the dumpster. Despite the tough conditions, I grew up to be a pretty big, strong cat. A lot of my time was spent looking out for coyotes and wandering dogs. Raccoons could be a problem too. But as I said—I was big, strong, and also fast—which saved me in several encounters. Small dogs were no worry I could KICK ASS!

“My primary stomping ground was that area around Bonnie View Drive and Park Lane. There were multiple housing units in the vicinity and lots of people. But people didn’t seem to like me, and the feeling was mutual. I didn’t like them either. That’s why I say I’d never had a real name. They called me things like that “Dirty little Bastard” or that “Stinky little Son of a Bitch.” I never knew what that meant.

“Roaming the neighborhood one day, and crawling along the top of a concrete wall, I noticed this Lady working in her backyard. Also in the yard were two cats; one I recognized as having had a sexual encounter with some time ago, and wondered if the smaller one could be the result of that encounter.”

“The Atomic Energy Commission will name its Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility for H. S. Senator Clinton P. Anderson of New Mexico.

“The announcement was made at the conclusion of a speech today by Commissioner James T. Ramey during ‘Clinton P. Anderson Day’ ceremonies in Los Alamos, at which distinguished guests from across the Nation paid tribute to the Senator.

“The Meson Physics Facility, now being completed at Los Alamos, has had the strong support of Senator Anderson.

“The major feature of this facility will be a proton linear accelerator which will produce the most intense beam of protons of any high energy accelerator in the world. It not only will expand knowledge of the structure of the atomic nucleus, but is expected to offer practical applications which will be of immediate benefit to society, such as the treatment of cancer and the production of new radio-isotopes for medical diagnosis.

“In his speech, Commissioner Ramey said: ‘Chairman James R. Schlesinger and the Members of the Commission and its Staff did some studying recently on the naming of the Meson Facility. We sought the advice of the White House and President Nixon, and consulted with Senator Anderson’s colleagues on the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy and, of course, with the Laboratory Director and his associates, regarding a name which would symbolize all our interests in the peacetime aspects of basic science here at Los Alamos for the benefit of the entire Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regions, and nationally and internationally. All of us came to the unanimous conclusion that we should name the Meson Physics Facility the “Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility” and that is what we intend to do!’”