PROFILE:Paul H. Ryan was born on Nov. 19, 1927 in Wakefield, Mass. and worked with his parents, James and Lillian Ryan, and nine siblings on their 50-acre farm raising greyhounds. Nicknamed “Buddy,” he married Edna Faye Moore in 1966, moved to Abilene, Kan. shortly thereafter, and died on Aug. 30, 1993 in Las Vegas, Nev. Also inducted into the Pioneer section were his father, James J. Ryan, in 1990, and his brother, Jack Ryan, in 2019.

HISTORY: Paul first became involved with the greyhound industry when his parents boarded greyhounds for the kennels racing at nearby Wonderland Greyhound Park. In 1942, the family was asked to raise a litter of greyhounds for a kennel owner and was offered three of the puppies as payment. The family was one of the first to raise greyhounds in the New England climate when Paul’s father established Ryan Kennels. A member of the National Greyhound Association, Paul raced greyhounds at Wonderland, Phoenix and Southland Greyhound Parks.

ACOMPLISHMENTS: Success came with two of the puppies the Ryan family received as payment; Maude Brooks won the 1947 Tampa Derby, and Bit of Buzz won the 1944 Taunton Gold Collar Stake, the 1944 Blue Ribbon Stake, and both the 1945 and 1947 Wonderland Inaugurals. Bud Jack, named after Buddy and his brother, was crowned the Hollywood Track Champion in 1958 and 1959 after capturing the 1959 Hollywood Derby, the Wonderland Derby and the Wonderland Middlesex County Championship. Buddy also contributed to the success of the sport by influencing others to raise and race greyhounds.