Happy birthday, Ryan Suenaga

Six years after Max Jones founded Juiced.GS, a promotion at work limited his energy to commit to the Apple II magazine. Max wanted his publication to continue without him, and he didn’t have to look far for someone to bear the torch. Ryan Suenaga, who had written for all 24 issues Max had edited, became the new editor-in-chief, a position he held for the next four years.

Ryan would’ve turned 50 today. Had he not passed away in 2011, he likely would be pleased and even surprised at how his contributions to the community have resonated (had his humility allowed him to admit such a thing). Juiced.GS and the Apple II community have enjoyed remarkable growth and innovation the past few years.

But we also carry with us the knowledge of how much richer we would be if Ryan were still with us. At the annual convention in Kansas City, a Krispy Kreme night celebrates his memory by raising funds for the @rsuenaga scholarship fund.

Another KansasFest tradition is the Juiced.GS staff photo, in anticipation of gracing our September cover. Anyone who has written for the magazine in the past year is invited to join the regular writers and editors for this special occasion. In 2013, the event was especially poignant when the cast received a special gift. Valentino Valdez had created a Remembering Ryan t-shirt, adapting a photo of Ryan playing basketball to a silhouette of colors evocative of Ryan’s infamous shorts. All Juiced.GS writers were given a shirt, with 100% of the sales benefiting Ryan’s scholarship.

Ryan Suenaga staff photo
Photo by Loren Damewood.

Happy birthday, Ryan. Your friends in the Apple II community and beyond remember you today and always.

Ryan Suenaga's last birthday party
Photo courtesy Ricky Li

(Originally published Jan 21, 2014)