by 
Buzzy’s (File photo)
Lorna and Bill Bowan, original owners with grandson Dennis Warner and daughter Beth Burns. (File photo)
By Rosalind Padilla
Special to the Copper Basin News
Editor’s Note: This article appeared in the Copper Basin News on Aug. 12, 2009 as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Town of Kearny.
Where do your grown children from the 70s and 80s head as soon as they come back to town? I stand corrected, not just the 70s and 80s but all ages returning home. What makes their onion rings, hamburgers, and green chili so special? Where can you go for a meal and get change back from a ten dollar bill? These are a few comments heard over the years.
Many businesses have come and gone in Kearny over the past 50 years. Two that are family owned and operated have served the Copper Basin Area almost the full 50 years. They are Buzzy’s and the Copper Basin News. When calling to set up a time to talk to the Bowans about Buzzy’s, I was directed to Bill or “Beba” as he is lovingly called and Lorna told me that Buzzy’s was “her baby.” In 1961, the family moved to Kearny and bought one of the first homes on Hartford for $200 down and $73 a month. There were no sidewalks or driveways and each family was given two mulberry trees. They lived in this home for a short while, moved to Hayden and back to Kearny again.
The Bowan family had moved here from Silver City, New Mexico in 1958 and with strikes every three years some lasting as long as a year or more, it was hard for any family to make ends meet. By the time any money was saved it was used to live through the next strike. Lorna Bowan was determined something needed to be done. A building had recently been constructed for a restaurant along the new Highway 177 in Hayden and was in need of someone to take over the business. Lorna and her friend Betty Morrison were convinced that they could make it work even though they had no money with which to start. Big Jim’s was born which they operated from 1961-64. They had only one other person serving as cook so Lorna Bowan and Jim Morrison took one shift and Betty Morrison and Beba Bowan took the next shift. This way there was always someone at home with the children. It was Lorna’s dream to have a chain of restaurants so she sold her interest in Big Jim’s to the Morrison’s and set out to achieve her dream.
In 1963, she opened up the Hamburger King in Superior (now Denogean’s) and operated it till 1968 while also starting another restaurant which became Buzzy’s in 1967. Jean Quinlan was a partner in Superior for six months. With three restaurants almost at the same time she had almost achieved her dream of starting a fast food chain. A thought to her self “you wanted a chain, but when you had two you had too many.” The Hamburger King was sold and Lorna ran Buzzy’s till she retired and sold it to her grandson Dennis Werner.
Max Wheeler constructed Buzzy’s and if you notice as you pass through Hayden on Highway 177, the building most recently Dos Amigos and in Superior, the current Denogean’s, all three are similar in shape and style.
What made Buzzy’s a success? First of all Lorna made her business work through careful calculations. For example she measured and figured out how much one ounce of ice cream would cost and what would be the profit for the year. Evaluating and planning her menus, portions and sizes and keeping careful notes as she considered profit and losses. The menu has remained the same over the years. The recipes for their onion rings, green chili and salsa were developed at Big Jims. Lorna says when she makes the same foods at home they don’t taste like those at Buzzy’s, same recipes and all. You can’t go wrong with a red chili, bean combo burro, enchilada style with a side of fries to dip in the enchilada sauce.
One night Lorna had a dream about Indian fry bread and roast beef tacos and a new menu was devised. Along with the new food they added written menus and waited on tables. They soon dropped that and went back to counter service. The family business was a full time job, open seven days a week and as with all family run businesses there is usually no time off. Everyone pitches in and helps. Lorna made a commitment to God, and started closing on Sunday, the business has been a blessing ever since.
There has not been a large turnover in employees through out the years. Dorothy Bracamonte worked there 27 plus years; Rose Arbizo, 27 years; Pat Boatman, almost as long. There are many more who have had a fairly long tenure. Diane Gillaspy and I share the same birthday and also shared Indian fry bread made by Diane on our birthday. I miss that tradition. If you have been a customer at Buzzy’s for any length of time you have watched the Bowan clan grow before your eyes because they have all worked there, some loving every moment and some not caring for it too much. Many of you in the community can say your first job was at Buzzy’s Proof that people love Buzzy’s burros, Lonnie Reed and Stewart Avants call ahead if they are going to be in the area and order in bulk, to be frozen so they can take them home, one to Texas another to Mesa.
Lorna and Beba have been married 61 years. Their children are Kenny, Bob, Mike, Beth, Becky, Karen and Laurie. They have 30 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. A wonderful picture hangs in their family room with the whole family present. When you realize that the children and grandchildren have worked in the family business it is a great family tribute to the community.
Actually I used to think the Bills nickname was Buzzy. He worked on the anode floor and lime kiln at the Kennecott smelter in Hayden and retired in 1982. He started working at Buzzy’s full time when Lorna retired.
How did she happen to name her restaurant Buzzy’s if it wasn’t her husband’s name? Since her goal and dream was to own a chain of fast food restaurants and she had the Hamburger King whose name sounds a lot like another popular chain, she was told she would do better with a catchy name. They had little boy bees and girl bees painted on the walls of the Superior restaurant and they decorated their hamburgers with a bee on a pick, so the name Buzzy’s was born.
The only changes to the building have been the colors. After 9-11 they painted the building red, white and blue, formerly maroon and white. School colors don’t bother the visiting sports teams. They just like the food.
You can’t be in Kearny very long before you know that Buzzy’s exists. One of the Bowan daughters was working in a store in the Valley when a person purchasing beer gave her his ID. She saw that he was from Kearny and lived on Danbury, and asked if he knew her parents. His answer was “no.” She then told him her parents owned Buzzy’s; he did not know where Buzzy’s was. “This is not your ID and you are not from Kearny if you don’t know where Buzzy’s is,” she replied.
When asking several regulars why you go to Buzzy’s for “your Pepsi fix”, the reply was “it just tastes better from Buzzy’s.” Many of the customers are so regular that they don’t have to order. If the person behind the counter sees familiar vehicles driving up they almost have the order ready by the time the person walks in the door. Then there are those of us who know the phone number by heart. Donnie Bishop has been a regular customer since the day Buzzy’s opened. In fact it was his first job. If Buzzy’s gave out “Frequent Customer” rewards, Donnie would be the grand prize winner and according to him, he wore out three cooks.
by by