“Blessed are those who plants trees under whose shade they will never sit.”
If there was ever a person who blessed this world with a life planting shade trees it was Reba McClanan. Former City Council Member 1980-92 & 1996-2008 and Vice Mayor of Virginia Beach 1984-86 Reba McClanan passed away on August 29, 2021, after a protracted battle with heart disease. Her decades of civic leadership no doubt left Virginia with thousands of trees whose shade improves the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens who will never know her name.
Reba was a true “coal miner’s daughter” as the oldest daughter of 7 children of Hudson and Goldie Salyers from Eastern, KY. As the daughter of a heart-of-gold miner, Reba’s passions for learning and music kept her at the top of her class and ultimately forged a path for her to go to complete high school in Tennessee which opened the door for college.
She attended Berea College, known for its commitment to giving Appalachian children of modest means a path to a good education. There she made lifelong friends who introduced her to an interesting international exchange program run by 4H for rural young adults. She spent nearly a year living on farms in both Northern and Southern Ireland and visiting Paris and London for the first of many times. This formative experience catalyzed lifelong passions for travel, Irish music & pretty much all things Irish.
Upon her return to Kentucky, she began teaching. Another 4H foreign exchange alumnus craftily used his program directory to give Reba a call when he was passing through town, and soon Glenn McClanan had charmed Reba Salyers into coming with him back to Virginia, where he was attending UVA law school. Reba continued her teaching career in Waynesboro, VA.
You know where this led. They married and soon (1964) they made their way back to his hometown of Virginia Beach where they landed on North Landing Road, then Barcelona Lane and then Burnt Mill Road for nearly 50 years. She taught at Virginia Beach High and Kellam High School.
Glenn was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1972. Reba, seeing the impact that a committed public servant can make, was the first woman to run for office in Virginia Beach. After not winning in her first attempt, she built a base of support through civic involvement that led to her election in 1980.
She was the epitome of an engaged citizen. The full list of her civic involvement would run the inkwell dry, but here are few of her civic involvements:
-Virginia Beach Council of Garden Clubs: Past President
-Virginia Beach Friends of the Library: Past President
-League of Women Voters: Past President
-Virginia Urban Forest Council, Past President
-Founder Virginia Beach Clean Community Commission
-Plaza Civic League and Garden Club: Past Officer
-League of Women Voters, Past Executive Committee Member
It was not just about policy; it was how she got things done. Reba was fearless and determined. She was resolute in her convictions that the city could both grow and do it with standards. Her ideology was not a partisan one. It was about a more engaged and livable community. Trees, landscaping, education and well-planned communities were paramount to politics. Many real estate developers eventually realized that “Reba’s way” was both a necessary and ultimately a better way to build after initially viewing it otherwise. She was so honored in 2008 when the city council chose to create the Reba S. McClanan Fragrance Garden at Red Wing after her retirement.
She lived as an example encouraging so many get involved in their community and working to serve all her constituents. She was called the “Voice of the Underdog” many times in public forums for these efforts. She was frequently seen at the courthouse educating thousands of high schoolers as a Virginia Beach Court docent.
Personally, Reba’s life was filled with a wide range of interests. She could always be found in a jewel-toned dress or suit driving a brightly colored convertible. She loved long lunches with friends trying to solve the world’s problems. A night owl, she often kept her slightly nerdy kids up while she listened to country or Irish folk music until well after midnight. She was a voracious reader, devouring 5 newspapers a day and a few books a month. Her Home Economics background made her a great cook, including a special gift for making any pie that contained pecans. She was the only person ever to wear out a land line phone from excessive use; an ironic twist since she didn’t speak on her first phone until college.
Reba loved to plan wonderful family trips to ever more adventurous places. Starting with Florida, then the Grand Canyon, then Alaska and The Yukon, then India, Nepal, Australia, Southern Africa, the Amazon, Colombia, China, Egypt, Russia, most of Europe and Central America and the Caribbean. Exposing the children to such an array of destinations, Reba and Glenn passed on their wanderlust to their children.
She was like a positivity weather system. Reba’s “colorful cloud” gave her attention and praise to everyone. She made people feel like they are the most interesting person in the world, be they a governor or president, or a cab driver in New Delhi. She wanted to know about them and always found something to compliment them about and almost always ended with a smile or a laugh.
Reba is survived by her 3 children: Martin McClanan (Portland, OR), Anne McClanan (Portland, OR) & Glenn McClanan (New York, NY) and 5 grandchildren Ian McClanan, Katie McClanan, Benjamin Hadad, Isabella McClanan and Luisa McClanan. Her sister Velinda Salyers and brothers Colby Salyers and Keith Salyers also survive their older sister.
There will be a service celebrating her life on October 23, 2021 at 12PM, at the Holloman-Brown Funeral Home 3445 Princess Anne Rd, Virginia Beach, VA. Guests are encouraged to WEAR BRIGHT COLORS in to celebrate her on what would have been her 84th birthday weekend. Condolences may be offered at hollomon-brown.com.
In lieu of flowers, Reba asked that you support any community or environmental organization of your choosing. Some the causes she supported were: Scenic Virginia – https://scenicvirginia.org/
Whitehurst-Buffington House -https://www.wbhouse.org/
Virginia Beach Beautification Commission: P. O. Box 1052, Va. Beach, VA 23451
Garden Clubs of VA Beach, c/o Dennie Kelley, 2316 Mariner’s Way #303, VA Beach 23451