The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 108, No. 20 - May 16, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Community Briefs...............2
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Legals..................................12
Obituaries.............................2
Pets......................................14
Real Estate.......... 8-11,15-16
Plenty of Hoopla at the Fair…
Last weekend’s Hometown Fair & Carnival was another resounding success. Among the many fun activities was a hula hoop contest, with some of the participants showcasing their skills in the photo above.
Photo: Gerardo Cueto
Sports.................................5,7 El Segundo Honors Bebe Buchen
Weekend
Forecast
as Older American of the Year
By Brian Simon
This past Saturday, longtime local resident
Cecelia “Bebe” Buchen received recognition
as the 2019 El Segundo Older American of
the Year at the annual Elderfest Celebration
at the Joslyn Center. Initial news of her
selection caught her off guard. “I thought,
‘This is really surprising,’” she said. “I felt so
honored by it… and when they read off my
accomplishments, I thought, ‘Did I do that?’”
While not one to toot her own horn, Bebe
(and we’ll get around to how she earned her
lifelong nickname) definitely did plenty to
earn her moment in the spotlight. In one of
the nomination letters for the honoree, El
Segundo Woman’s Club 3rd Vice President
Carol Cervantes wrote, “Cecelia (Bebe)
Buchen embodies the qualities of class, humor
and kindness. Quick to laugh, she can zero
in on the humor of a situation with the sharp
wittiness of a Hollywood comedienne, while
always remaining the lady.”
Bebe is the current president of the El
Segundo Woman’s Club, serving her second
stint at the helm of the community’s oldest
service organization. She originally joined
back in 1993. She remains involved in
virtually all club activities and has accepted
the responsibility of not only keeping the
group active, but also assuring the nearly
100-year-old clubhouse remains in good
repair. Bebe is also very active with the El
Segundo United Methodist Church, serving
on several committees, and also volunteers
with C.A.S.E. “Bebe has long deserved to
be recognized for not only her long history
of contributions to our community, but also
for just the way she lives her life striving to
always be kind to others,” Cervantes added.
Bebe’s family moved from Stockton to
Richmond, California in 1942 when she
was four years old. Richmond was the site
of the first Standard Oil refinery on the West
Coast. Little did she know that she would
eventually settle down for good in the town
where the company established its second
California refinery.
After graduating from Richmond High
School, Bebe moved on to San Francisco
State University and eventually became
a teacher. She married her high school
sweetheart Michael Buchen and the couple
relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts where
he spent two years at MIT. The next decade
was a whirlwind of moving all over the
country due to his duties with the Air Force.
“We came back to California and lived in
Inglewood near the racetrack,” Bebe said.
They had two children – Christopher and
Gretchen – and found a home on El Segundo
Boulevard by Los Angeles Air Force Base.
By then, Bebe had quit teaching to become a
full-time housewife. But not long after, they
moved to Hawaii where Bebe also found the
time to take scuba diving classes and earn a
certificate. Michael then served a tour of duty
in Vietnam and when he returned, the family
also resided in Torrance and Albuquerque. “We
finally landed back in Southern California in
1977 and bought a house at Eucalyptus and
Walnut,” Bebe said. She continues to live at
the same residence 42 years later.
Once entrenched in El Segundo, Bebe
became involved in the community by
coaching girls soccer with a team known
as the Algae Eaters because of their green
uniforms. She returned to teaching, working as
a substitute mainly at El Segundo elementary
schools and also occasionally at Wiseburn.
“One time I subbed for Coach John Stevenson
when he had a heart attack, which was
extremely difficult,” Bebe remembered.
Speaking of soccer, when her daughter
was about 13 and playing the sport, a local
man approached some of the moms during
a game and said. “You mothers, you could
have a ladies’ soccer team – you should be
out there playing.” Bebe took the suggestion
to heart and helped form an El Segundo
adult women’s soccer team. “We started in
the C division, made it to B level and then
won the championship in the A division,”
she said. Bebe had never previously played
soccer and was already in her early 40s, so
she settled on a team management role as
younger players began to join.
In the mid-‘80s with the kids now adults,
Bebe embarked on a full-time career at LA Air
See Bebe Buchen, page 13
Friday
Sunny/
Wind
65˚/57˚
Saturday
Cloudy
65˚/58˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
63˚/56˚