Member News
Stay up-to-date on everything happening in and around Eugene Southtowne Rotary Club.
Rotarian Passing – Adalbert “Bert” Toepel, Jr.
Our dear Rotarian friend passed this last week. Retired U.S. Army COL Adalbert “Bert” Toepel, Jr., died early Monday morning, December 1, 2025, in Eugene, Oregon, of septic pneumonia and other undiagnosed infections. He exhibited no obvious symptoms the day before, attending church and running errands, only tiring later in the day before being transported to the Riverbend ER. He spent Thanksgiving week with his wife, children, and two granddaughters and their husbands doing things that he loved. He was active until the end, which is how he wanted to be remembered.
A military burial service will take place on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 1:00 PM, at the Pavilion at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt Scott Blvd, Happy Valley, OR 97086. All are welcome to attend. There will be another service sometime in January at Emmaus Lutheran Church, Eugene, OR. TBA.
Officer and Board Elections are Coming Soon
We are working on our election process for the 2025-2026 Rotary Year. According to our handbook, we are supposed to have our slate of candidates ready to vote upon by early December. If you want to run for the board (which will also include heading a committee), please let us know soon. You can also nominate someone for these roles.
We are looking for the following for the upcoming Rotary Year, which starts July 1st, 2026:
- Local Services Director (oversees Local Service Projects)
- Resource Director (oversees the administration of our various committees).
For questions, email:
Patric – patricjmiller@gmail.com
Sylvia – rotary.sylvia2526@gmail.com
Karen – jkfretwell@comcast.net
Travis – travismisfeldt@zoho.com
Thanks for stepping up to Southtowne Leadership!
Fundraising Report – December 2, 2025
New Fundraising Ideas in the Works:
1) Ornament Sale – Sell rare, irreplaceable glass ornaments this holiday season. We have an incredible opportunity to profit from the sale of one-of-a-kind blown glass ornaments. These ornaments were gifted to Southtowne Rotary through past-president Glen Brigham.
2) Golf Ball Drop – You’ve already heard about this event, as soon as we tackle down a venue for the event we will start getting company sponsorships. Still planning on springtime.
3 ) Garage Sale – We are looking at the idea of having a garage sale, as it appears that many of us have good stuff to sell. Ideally, we need a parking lot in a good location where we can set-up tables under our Rotary canopies and sell the lot!
4 ) Matthew Knight Arena events – We have several events that you can volunteer to serve at the Pitstop concession booth. Please get a food handler’s license and an OLCC server license at your convenience. It’s done online and the cost is reimbursed by the club.
Invite Your Friends to Our Community!
Help us grow our community by inviting your friends to join our email list! With their approval, you can easily sign them up on our website to stay informed about all the exciting events and updates we send out, including the weekly Spinoff.
