Joan Buning of St. James Cathedral expresses her gratitude for life in the United States in this excerpt from an oral history interview conducted on April 21, 2011.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Buning lived in the last family home on Lake Eola at the corner of Robinson St. and Rosalind Ave. where they raised 8 children, 5 girls and 3 boys. The Buning family walked to church at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando and all eight children graduated from St. James School. Mrs. Buning recalls, “St. James was a major part of our lives.”
In this audio excerpt she remembers her three sons service to our country in Vietnam, Desert Storm, at West Point and her husband’s service during WWII. Her husband, Bill Buning, was wounded in action at the Battle of Rhur and awarded the Purple Heart. Mrs. Buning says, “When I think of some of the situations in other countries it just makes me even more grateful to be a U.S. citizen and to be a part of the great United States.”
LISTEN (2:47) Joan Buning
LISTEN (11:19) Alice and Joan Buning
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Joan Buning and Father Bill at St. James Cathedral
July 1981 photo of Joan Buning at Fr. Bill's going away party at St. James Catholic Cathedral in downtown Orlando.
Joan and Bill Buning, St. James Cathedral
July 1981 photo of St. James parishioners Bill and Joan Buning with Fr. Bill in the atrium of the Cathedral Center at...
Valentine's Day at St. James Cathedral
February 1992 photo of Jim and Cathy Steiger at a Valentine's Day celebration at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, the first president ever to sleep in Orlando, stayed at the Cherry Plaza just around the corner from the Buning's family home on Lake Eola during his 1964 campaign visit. Alice Buning remembers competing with her brother, Rick Buning, to see who could shake President Johnson's hand the most. Alice confirms for the record that she knows she shook President Johnson's hand four times before the President made his way to Colonial Drive for his 9:30 am campaign address. Alice's mother, Joan Buning, also shares her fond memories of the Cherry Plaza Hotel and significant downtown landmarks in this excerpt from an oral history interview with the Bunings on April 21st, 2011.
Mrs. Joan Buning, St. James Cathedral
Joan Buning of St. James Cathedral expresses her gratitude for life in the United States in this excerpt from an oral history interview April 21st, 2011.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Buning lived in the last family home on Lake Eola at the corner of Robinson St. and Rosalind Ave. where they raised 8 children, 5 girls and 3 boys. The Buning family walked to church at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando and all eight children graduated from St. James School. Mrs. Buning recalls, "St. James was a major part of our lives."
In this audio excerpt she remembers her three sons service to our country in Vietnam, Desert Storm, at West Point and her husband's service during WWII. Her husband, Bill Buning, was awarded a Purple Heart. Mrs. Buning says, "When I think of some of the situations in other countries it just makes me even more grateful to be a U.S. citizen and to be a part of the great United States."
