“The committee unanimously selected Don primarily because of his commitment that he made in downtown Hamilton,” said Kenny Craig, president of the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. “The investment and commitment he made is paying dividends now, as evidenced by the investment that is still going on in downtown today (Mercantile Loft building renovation, Art Off Symmes and InMotion Bike Shop).”
Former winners include Bob Weigel, Tom Fritsch, Tim Nichting, Larry Bowling, Jim Blount and Bill Wilks.
Candidates for the award are nominated by people from the community. The best candidates should leave a “special mark” on the city through financial or volunteer commitments or through significant achievements, Craig said. Candidates should also have gone “above and beyond” to make a positive difference and improve the quality of life in the city, Craig said.
Ryan recently sat down at his downtown restaurant, Ryan’s Tavern, at 240 High St., and talked about his life and the city, as it was when he was a boy and as it is now.
Ryan said he has traced his ancestors to Ireland back to the 1850s. They eventually settled in the Chicago area, then some relocated to the Southwest Ohio area in the early 20th century. His grandfather Neil Ryan wanted to be an umpire and was attracted to the Cincinnati Reds, Ryan said.
Growing up in Lindenwald and later on the West side, Ryan recalled the fun had with friends while attending St. Ann’s and St. Peter’s Catholic schools, participating in choir and Boy Scouts. While his mother Marie stayed at home raising five children (Don is the oldest), his father Vance worked at Champion Paper, for 45 years. The strong family values he grew up with have carried over to adulthood, he said.
“Love of God. Love of family. Love of country. Without those three things, what do you have?” he said.
He remembers no matter where you were in the city you could hear the noon and 5 p.m. whistles at the mill.
“You hung out with your friends. There were no electronic games so you had to use your mind. We knew when we heard that whistle at noon, it was time to go home for lunch, or when the whistle went off at 5 o’clock it was time to go home for dinner.”
Ryan remembers visiting candy shops, five and dime stores and Woolworth’s, which used to be located where Ryan’s Tavern is today.
Ryan said that’s what he misses most about the old Hamilton. The businesses. The jobs. The connections between families and the memories from those connections.
“I remember riding my bike up here with friends. You could almost do what you wanted to do. There was no fear of anything like there is today. I remember there were people everywhere. It just felt like the neatest thing in the world.”
Ryan earned a business degree in operations management from Miami University and started his career in manufacturing at Diebold.
“Part of the strategy as mayor was to try to revitalize downtown Hamilton,” he said. “I talked about downtown Hamilton like a wagon wheel. The wheel is only as strong as your hub.”
Ryan said no one was volunteering to start the reinvestment into the downtown area. He said he hatched the idea to open the tavern after watching a PBS episode about how well Irish-themed restaurants were doing in various communities.
He couldn’t have picked a tougher time in his life to open the restaurant, in October 2008, a month after the beginning of the recession and during a time when his health was failing.
“Me and ‘Mr. Adversity’ walked side by side for years,” Ryan said, referring to battles to pass inspections and rehabilitating the historic building. He said he is starting to see his vision come to fruition, but it will take awhile longer before the investment pays off, he said.
“Now we’re attracting people not only from Butler County, but Hamilton County, Cincinnati, Southeastern Indiana ... this has become a gathering place. And that was the vision. To bring people to Hamilton so they could see we have a beautiful downtown. First of all, they’re shocked. Hamilton has had a negative image. When they walk in the front doors here, people say: ‘Wow. This is really nice.’”
Ryan said the recession has overshadowed everything that’s been positive happening in the city, citing the opening of the Courtyard by Marriott and more recently the progress across from Ryan’s Tavern at the Mercantile Loft building.
Ryan is no stranger to adversity. He endured the death of his first wife from cancer when she was just 31 years old. They were married for 10 years before the illness, he said.
In order to work, Ryan said he relied on his family and hired babysitters to help take care of his three sons. But after work it was just him.
“When you face that kind of adversity early in your life, you have two choices,” he said. “You can fall apart or you can grow from it. I grew from that experience. It makes you a stronger person and at the end you’re able to deal with more serious issues because you’ve already dealt with the worst a young age.”
Together with his second wife Vicki, whom he met in 1982, Ryan is the father of six boys. He credits Vicki for supporting his vision for the restaurant, helping to decorate the place and occasionally providing entertainment by playing violin. He said she has made the necessary sacrifices that allow him to work during the day at his steel fabricating business and to be present at the restaurant at night.
“There’s been a number of people in the city who have helped me tremendously. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that kind of help. This is not a one man effort,” he said.
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