I came across this site by mere coincidence when searching for my old firend's brand name of "BUNKEN".
In August, 2009, AEOLIAN had posted about his pleasure with a set of BUNKEN sticks.
I doubted anyone kew the history of those sticks or how they got their name. So I thought for historical purposes I would chime in.
I started a business in a very large old shoe factory in 1972 in Braintree, MA. The building was originally the C.B. Slater Shoe Company, and for historians was the actual site of the Sacco & Venzetti robbery in the early 20th century.
In the front of that building in a small space was a person making drumsticks. His name was Ken Drinan.
He was a very nice person with a good sense of humor, and he was clever as well. He was a musician by night, and he made drumsticks by day.
Surprisingly he was NOT a drummer! I believe he played a bass guitar.
He had a single Teledyne-Pines lathe and some other equipment.
His daughter, Nancy, and son, Kevin, helped him with the process.
His wife's name was Bunny. Getting the picture here?
So he called the drumsticks, what else, but BUNKEN!
I moved from that building in 1973, and I do not recall seeing him after that. He died sometime in the late 1970's.
This is my history lesson for the day. I could not resist after seeing the tradename mentioned.