Please leave your thoughts and memories below, as we honor the passing of one of our most loved and influential community members.
.Remembering Rowland Rebele
Good Times invites you to join in honoring a true friend to all of us.
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I arrived in Santa Cruz over ten years ago, and quickly learned the Rebele name from the Rowland and Pat Rebele Family Shelter that I would pass by often. Eventually, I came to learn of his generous involvement in supporting the arts, young student journalists, and independent news publishers, in addition to his devotion to assisting the homeless and less fortunate. I’m grateful for the few times I met ‘Reb’ and enjoyed being in his company. He was a great man. I will miss him, having only known him slightly. My heart goes out to his closest friends and family whom I know will miss him terribly.
Reb was the owner of the first newspaper I worked at. Though he made the unfortunate mistake of selling to Dean Singleton who then evolved into Digital First Media, Reb was a true journalist, a man who was committed to in-depth, watchdog journalism and gave his reporters time to do it. Immediately before finding this tribute, I set up a monthly donation in his name to the First Amendment Coalition, with whom he worked. I hope others will do the same.
Not enough can be said about Rowland Rebele’s contributions to homeless, musicians, and others in Sant Cruz County.. He is irreplaceable!
But, little is known about the paid internships he created and supported for his alma mater Stanford University journalism students for 38 years–invaluable to society. As a grad of that same program, I will do what I can to continue what he began. If you want to support such a program, just write Communications Dept., P. O. Box 20466, Stanford U., Stanford, CA. 94309-0466.
Thank you, Reb
To Brad Kava and Geoff Dunn
What a great story on Rowland Rebele! He was a dear friend and ‘brother’ to my husband Rich in their undergraduate years at Stanford, both unshy advocates of church membership. Rich always took credit for bringing the Rebeles to Santa Cruz County as they were looking for a place to settle after living overseas. Reb fancied a small farm with walnut trees but Pat favored more urban accommodations, and they ended up in Rio del Mar. He taught Sunday School at Aptos Lutheran before joining St. John’s Episcopal. Their interest in classical music and art matched ours, and after the most recent concert at the Mello I staggered out with my cane behind Reb with his walker, alone. The void he leaves is cavernous, dark and difficult.