Kay Buesing, c. 2013

I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who did more and talked about it less than Kay Buesing, the mover and shaker behind the World Kite Museum in Long Beach.  Not that she didn’t talk about kites and kite flyers and kite events.  She just didn’t say much about her part in it all — which was HUGE!

I’ve often thought that if we could find that proverbial bushel it would be Kay’s light shining brightly beneath it.  And well it should be!  I’m probably not the only one who has had several “discussions” with her during the past year and a half about her dying in February 2020 — right when we were first closed down for Covid.  We didn’t get to say a proper goodbye!  And now, just when we all thought that at last we could pay tribute to her in a public gathering at the World Kite Museum on Thursday… up comes the surge, the variants, and all the worries once again.  As we speak, her family is agonizing over ways to scale back the plans for her celebration on Thursday… so stay tuned.

Jim Buesing, c 1990

I don’t know exactly when I met Kay — she and I came here to teach at about the same time, in the late ’70s.  In the early ’80s, we were both involved in the establishment of the Peninsula Players under the direction of Lawrence Lessard.  And we were both members of Gordon and Roy’s crazy picnic group.  (In fact, Gordon often referred to Kay’s husband, Jim, as his “best friend.”)  When both Kay and Gordon were without partners, they often did things together — like come to the Mystery Book Club Meetings and almost always to our Friday Night Gatherings.

When I wrote about Kay and Jim for Legendary Locals of the Long Beach Peninsula, I interviewed Kay to make sure of my facts and, typically, learned a great deal about her “kite life” that she had never talked about to us — even while it was going on!  So typical!  Here is what I wrote (with her blessing!  Who knows what all was left out!)

Jim and Kay Buesing:  Jim Buesing’s love affair with kites began in 1980 when his wife, Kay, gave him a two-string “Skyro Gyro” for Christmas.  Within months, they had bought a small building on Long Beach’s main street and opened a kite shop.  Jim gave away as many kites as he sold, encouraging friends and strangers alike to “go fly a kite!1”  When the Washington State International Kite Festival began in 1981, the Buesings were soon in the thick of it, applying for grants and hosting kite flyers from all over the world.  They even traveled to China in 1987 where they represented the United States at the Fourth Annual Weifang Kite Festival.  They soon organized the World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame, and Kay, a retired teacher, became its director, devoting her full attention to “the only American Museum dedicated exclusively to the thrill, joy, art, science, and world history of kites.”  In 2003, Kay was inducted into the museum’s Hall of Fame for “immeasurable contributions” to the kiting world,

The World Kite Museum, Long Beach, WA

As of a few minutes ago, the celebration for Kay scheduled for later this week is being re-evaluated by her family. I’ll have more information on my blog tomorrow and I’m sure that any late-breaking news will appear on the World Kite Museum’s Facebook Page.  Meantime, you can bet, I’m shaking a fist or two at the Dark Covid Angels up there and hoping both Kay and Jim can convince them to fold up their kites and go home.  Enough already!