Chris Ryon is an educator and a community historian with a career spanning more than four decades of public service. He spent 30 years as a force in public education, beginning in 1985 at William Paca Junior High School’s Alternative Education Program. Later he taught seventh- and eighth-grade science and the accelerated science program.

He then moved to William Floyd High School in 1999 to teach biology and earth science. Chris, along with fellow honoree Mike Whelan, co-founded the high school’s FIRST Robotics program in 1999. Along with the talented advisors, Chris continues to mentor students in the program today. He also started the successful forensics program with Dr. Martin Palermo. Chris also worked with the district’s team on the Smaller Learning Communities grant, as well as partnering with Cablevision to help establish the MSG Varsity media training program. Alongside his career in the classroom, he spent 22 years at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he led educational programs during the summer and created the widely popular Whizbang Science Show.

Following his retirement from William Floyd in 2015, Chris transitioned his passion for education into local preservation, serving as the village historian for both the Village of Poquott (11 years) and the Village of Port Jefferson for 11+ years. Chris has curated 22 historic photo exhibits at the Village Center Gallery. In Port Jefferson, he co-founded the Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum to highlight the area’s American Revolution history. In 2025, he co-launched a non-profit for cemetery restoration to train volunteers in headstone and monument repair. Known locally, Chris transforms his home every October into the neighborhood's beloved “Spider House” featuring giant, homemade spiders. He has been happily married to his wife, Karin, for 40 years, and together they share two daughters and three grandchildren.