Stanley “Stan” R. Bustetter, sixty two and a library manager thirty-two years, made his limitless resolution to communicate in Spanish five years ago. His desire to serve the Hispanic Community of Hampton Roads and the world motivated his resolve. Who is this valiant man without barriers?
Stan Bustetter welcomed an interview with Aplauda under one condition, “let me write my own answers in Spanish.”
Why not? This determined librarian engulfed himself in the study of Spanish five years ago after a visit to Honduras where he struggled to communicate and decided there and then, “I will learn to communicate in Spanish with Spanish Speakers.” His self-initiated study began soon after he returned to Virginia. It is with great pleasure that Aplauda introduces you to this determined and friendly librarian willing and ready to serve you at the Greenbrier Library in Chesapeake, VA.
Native hometown?
I was born in Los Angeles, California where I attended school straight through high school in a town called San Gabriel near Pasadena. Both my maternal and paternal ancestors arrived in the United States from Germany in the nineteenth century.
Profession?
My degrees are in English and Library Science. I attended California State University Northridge and Oklahoma University. I’ve worked as a manager of libraries in three different states: North Carolina, Florida and Virginia. I’ve been the manager of the Greenbrier Library in Chesapeake now seventeen years. I have chosen to work in only public libraries because I love working directly with the public.
Family?
My oldest three children are from ages thirty to thirty-three years old. I also have stepdaughters ages seventeen and nineteen. My wife Debra is a teacher and works for the Newport News public school system.
Hampton Roads neighborhood you live in now. How long?
We live in the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach seventeen years.
Favorite Hispanic personality: Why?
My favorite Hispanic personality is Enrique Gratas, Anchorman of the Univision Spanish television station. He is a constant and strong personality on the network. I watch him everyday at five thirty in the morning because he speaks slowly and I can understand him very well.
A song, word, or phrase that describes your life. Why?
The word, “curious” describes my personality. I love learning new things. Currently my curiosity involves the study of Spanish. My father was very much like me; he constantly looked up information and words in the dictionary.
How do you see yourself giving back to the Hispanic population of Hampton Roads?
I want to help the growing Hispanic Community of Hampton Roads and beyond through personal means as well as through my work as librarian. I immersed myself in the study of Spanish after my first visit to Honduras for this reason. My studies began with independent practice on academic audiovisual materials. Then I joined forces with another friend who shared my goals. We helped each other with the oral practice. He has since moved to Honduras and is involved in some humanitarian ventures. My aim is to involve Spanish Speakers in the use of the library resources. We have free Internet access, free book lending, and free lending of DVD’s and CD’s. Encouraging the library might help the Hispanic population see how much money our free community service can save them in addition to learning to speak, read and write in English. I am willing to be available to assist Spanish Speakers personally. Please ask for me “Stan” when you visit the Greenbrier Chesapeake Library. I work hard at maintaining the library stocked with valuable Spanish and bilingual resources. I am also most willing to share any community resources that come my way for Spanish Speakers.
Organization affiliations in Hampton Roads?
My wife and I attend Springbranch Community Church in Virginia Beach. I’m also an active member or REFORMA, a special consortium group of librarians affiliated with the American Library Association and committed to the improvement of information services for those of the Hispanic culture and Spanish Speakers. I am also a member of a local group called Meetup.com Hampton Roads Spanish Speakers. Meetup is a very new group and we meet locally once a month at the Imperio Inca Restaurant in Norfolk. The purpose of the group is to learn about cultural norms in a variety of Hispanic cultures. Right now we have people from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Peru as well as Americans. We purposely speak in Spanish for the session with the aim of becoming more fluent in oral communication. Many of the participants are self-taught in the Spanish language but others attend formal classes.
Compare a difference from how you were raised and how you raised your children or grandchildren in Hampton Roads?
When I was raised in South California, I had Spanish-speaking friends even though I spoke very little Spanish. I also have memories of growing up in a town that had one of the twenty-one missionaries constructed in the eighteenth century by Friar Juniper Serra, a Franciscan monk from Spain. I was very interested and involved in the history of California due to its mixture of its Indian, Spanish, and American roots. My childhood memories include that some of my relatives still spoke German and that we lived in a two-acre lot with chickens and goats. Today, my family lives in a very small plot of land with only one dog. Yet, in some ways Hampton Roads landscape reminds me of California except for the cold weather. Both places have people of varied cultures, military, beaches, and a lot of traffic. Unfortunately, my children don’t speak Spanish and haven’t maintained any German either.
How well do you think the United States in general, but Hampton Roads in particular, have done in creating opportunities and accommodating Spanish-speaking people?
I don’t think that many citizens of Hampton Roads or the rest of the United States understands the richness of the Hispanic culture. And there are not enough people who can speak the Spanish language. Maybe too many citizens of the US have forgotten that most of us immigrated from elsewhere.
What influence do you think the Hispanic population has had on the Hampton Roads community?
I think the people of Hampton Roads should role out the welcome mats to the Hispanic population. This population contributes to the area as neighbors, workers, owners of homes and businesses and they pay taxes. I think the community contributes much richness to the area.
Words of wisdom for the Hispanic population of Hampton Roads
Never let go of your faith in God and the people of Hampton Roads. There are many of us who support you.
Of what life achievements are you most proud?
I’m proud of my faith in God. Having sons, daughters, and grandchildren is a marvelous achievement. I’m proud of having visited Honduras twice with my church and of my study and fluency attained in the Spanish language. I’m proud of my military service and having executed seventy-one parachute jumps.
What is your favorite cultural dish?
I like enchiladas rancheras from the Guadalajara Restaurant and a dish of fish with yucca from the Imperio Inca Restaurant.
Hobbies:
Gardening and home-improvement projects keep me busy. I have constructed miniature train sets. But most of all, I like playing with the grandkids.
Wake up hermanos, Mr. Bustetter’s efforts to execute the Spanish language is a call to arms for us native Hispanics who forget to pass on the heritage of our mother tongue to our own children. Let’s resolve to change that in 2008 with no barriers of age or race. You can send Mr. Bustetter a shout out of support to sbustett@chesapeake.lib.va.us
¡Aplauda! Stanley “Stan” R. Bustetters. IRM
¡Aplauda Hampton Roads! 
