Ruthanna Rebmen
Buena Inside and Out

Ruthanna Rebmen, 91, might be called Mrs. Buena by some. She and her late husband Clio worked in Buena all their lives and raised two daughters here. She says she gets a warm feeling in her heart when she drives over the freeway bridge towards Buena, the place she has called home for more than 60 years.

“I love the people, our churches, the friendships,” she said. Her husband, who died 17 years ago, was postmaster for many years, and Ruthanna worked as a postal clerk alongside him. She taught Sunday school classes and organized a Good News Club for children after school. So it’s natural that she would become involved in efforts to save the Buena Library. She has been a member of the Buena Community Council for years, chairman for many of them, and immediately saw the value of getting the community behind efforts to raise awareness—and funds—for an effort to preserve the small town’s branch of the Yakima Valley Regional Library.

“I think the library is a very positive thing for our community, especially for the children. And for the children who are learning the English language, it is very important,” she said. As the liaison from the Community Council she helped organize the Friends of the Buena Library. In fact, the first organizational meeting was held in her home. And now she’s getting her own life a little more organized.

“I’m getting rid of a lot of the stuff we accumulated over the years,” she said. She advertised on the Internet for somebody to clean out her storage buildings in exchange for the salvage they could get from the accumulation. It’s nice to see things get cleaned up, she said. And she’s doing more reading now, something she said she didn’t have much time for when she was working and raising two daughters. “I like novels. I’m reading a series for women, and enjoy books with a Christian theme,” she said. “I recently read a book on quilting which was very entertaining.” After 91 years, she deserves a little entertainment.

R. Glenn Leuning
A Friend of the Buena Library

R. Glenn Leuning, 87, says he is a voracious reader. “I read constantly. In fact, I have scores of books at home I’m trying to re-read before I give them away,” he said. His love of books may be one of the reasons Leuning has been so supportive of the Friends of the Buena Library, playing an active role in preserving the library for this small Central Yakima Valley community. Why did he get involved in saving the library?

“Simply because it is an important thing for Buena to have,” he said. “I am so surprised at how much it’s being used.” He credits the Buena librarian for much of the library’s success. “The biggest advantage here is Kathy Garcia,” he said. Librarian Garcia helps bring the community together in Buena’s small branch of the Yakima Valley Regional Library. Housed in a double-wide mobile home, the Buena Library is busy year around. Leuning was born in the Valley, but spent more than 30 years away from the area, mostly in California, before returning at the urging of a niece.

“I like the four seasons,” he said. He served in the South Pacific during World War II, and says the war is the reason he never married. His girlfriend fell in love with another man while he was gone. “When I got back, she had married somebody else,” he said, shrugging it off as no big deal. Leuning, who holds a Ph. D., taught voice and served as chairman of the Humanities Division at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif. He still enjoys his music. “Every day I play the piano and sing,” he said. He has much to sing about: good health, good books, music, and a community he adores.