Fourth-generation Chicoan and Chico History Museum board member Dave Nopel traces the story of Humboldt Road, one of the oldest place-names in town.
July 14, 2026
Head out to where Bruce Road now crosses Humboldt Road and you'll find something brand new: a stoplight-controlled intersection moving traffic along one of Chico's newest thoroughfares. But glance at the cross-street sign and you're looking at history.
Humboldt Road carries one of the oldest place-names in Chico, and the road itself has a story that runs back long before the signal ever blinked green.
Where did the name come from? Who laid the first road there? And what part did it play in Chico's past? On Tuesday, Dave Nopel takes the field to answer those questions — and more.
Dave is about as Chico as it gets. He's a fourth-generation local who grew up here, came up through Chico-area public schools, and spent four years at Chico State. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served nearly three years of active duty before returning home to Chico, where he's mostly been ever since. He's logged plenty of time in the outdoors, and he and his wife Betty spent more than thirty years running a daycare together. Since it closed in 2014, Dave has put his energy into the Chico History Museum downtown as a volunteer and board member — which makes him just the right person to carry this story.
So before the next light cycle waves traffic down Bruce Road, come find out what's behind that old road sign. When it comes to Chico's history, Dave knows the ground. Kickoff is Tuesday at Noon.
UPCOMING FIXTURES
Tue, July 14 - Club Board of Directors Meeting @ Mom's, 7:30 a.m.
Thur, July 16 - Programs Committee (if you have speaker ideas!), 7:00 a.m., Golden Valley Bank
Tue, July 21 - Woody Fridae: Rotary District 5160 Governor
Tue, July 28 - Carolina Burreson: Honeybee Discovery Center
Tue, Aug 4 - Virginia Guleff: Butte College President - Update
Michael Dominick, guest of Police Chief Billy Aldridge
Sue Campbell, guest of Lisa Reynolds
Sean McCreary, guest of Quinn Velasquez
Dean Fender, guest of Kiley Patterson
Lacey Starlight, guest of Robb & Karen Lightfoot
Daisy Wu, Exchange Student…on her last day in Chico. Best of luck, Daisy!
FROM THE SIDELINE
End Polio Now.
President Beau put polio front and center for the year. Karin Lightfoot is again running a table at the back — fresh fruit, eggs, and more — with donations going to the polio fund, and she'll serve as the club's polio liaison.
Beau's challenge to every member: set up a recurring Polio Plus gift the way he does — $10/month covers the $100 ask and you "set it and forget it." He noted the cause hit close to home this year: a close family friend's father, a post-polio survivor Beau had hoped to book as a speaker, passed away before the year began.
Panama wheelchair trip.
Glen Eaton announced a District 5160 trip with Howard Tours to distribute wheelchairs in Panama next month — a package (airfare not included) of $1,600 per person double-occupancy, plus $400 for a single room. Four to five days of fellowship, service, and touring around Panama City.
The district's earlier fundraising (a focus a couple of years back bought roughly six shipping containers of wheelchairs; some have gone out in Mexico, with Panama next. Contact Glen for details!
New sound system.
Beau thanked the Tech team for a brand-new, home-compatible microphone and speaker system — the box lives under the screen — meant to cut static and finally let everyone hear the mics.
Pins replacing Robbies.
Beau is retiring the Robbies but keeping the concept as a "Rotary swag grab bag": wear your pin, get into the raffle for a prize, and if your pin got you there, the club makes an extra $40 donation to a cause of your choice.
Surf & Turf / Steak & Lobster.
Last year's event cleared $62,000 in profit. Robert Delgardo has agreed to lead the 2027 event, landing in April. Jeni Moore — the club's former "Queen of Chocolate" — steps in as "Queen of Lobster," taking the reins from Heidi Musick, who's earned a break. Raffles stay with Jessica Henman. Stay tuned!
TRIBUTES
Kate Stefan received her Black Badge.
Congratulations Kate!
Tovey Giezentanner received a “For the Record” award for Rob Reddemann's year 2025-26.
MATCH OF THE DAY
Beau McSwain opened his year as President with rugby in his blood and The Real World Chico on the screen — Alberta Simic having officially put MTV to bed. The rugby résumé runs deep: first boots at thirteen in the East Bay, college ball at Arkansas, national championships with the Bay Area's Old Blues, and a 2002 third-division national title right here in Chico, followed by two decades coaching Chico State and the town's youth, men's, and women's programs. Riding shotgun for the year: his wife Lauren (in the red shirt), co-architect of the whole presentation — plus a four-legged cheering section at home in Ziggy the sheepadoodle, Ludo, and cats Oscar and Emmy.
A ruck, for the uninitiated, is how rugby restarts play after a tackle — teammates bind together over the ball and drive forward. That's the year in one image. But as Beau was quick to note, rugby is just the fun part: Ruck & Rotary really lands on an active, healthy, happy community. Active however you choose — a pitch, a trail, a golf course, a morning walk. Healthy in body and in mind. Happy as the natural result. And community — everything we give back.
Fresh from the Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Beau and Lauren brought back stories from a gathering of 37,000 Rotarians — including a full day of temples, gondola rides, zoo animals, and mystery-flavor shaved ice hosted by exchange student Daisy's parents, Oreo and Eva, and a Sunday with Taipei's "old boys" rugby crowd courtesy of a Durham Rotarian and rugby friend: 150 players sorted by the color of their shorts, from the under-40s to the under-90s, including one gentleman still on the pitch at 89 years and six months.
The takeaways came home like a match plan. Carry business cards — everyone there had them, and Beau didn't. Wear your Rotary pin — it's a way of life, not an accessory. And take membership's graying seriously, because clubs everywhere are asking the same question — the best answer Beau heard all week being the simplest: "If we lose an older person, let's get another older person."
Leadership, Teams, Points & Service Projects
President Beau introduced the club's Coaching Staff for the year — Leah Wills as assistant coach; Phil Aviles as strength coach and captain's captain; and Melanie Bassett as team manager, admin ace, and — per the president — keeper of the club's offshore bank accounts. On the depth chart: elects Dan Andreasen and Kiley Patterson, with a grateful shout-out to Rob Reddemann and Heidi Musick for a fantastic job this past year.
Then he handed the mic to Strength Coach Phil Aviles to introduce Team Leadership — though Phil first offered a word on how he got the job: "Beau gave me his favorite rugby jersey to wear, and we served spaghetti today. That's how his decisions are made." The six sides and their captains:
Then Phil explained how the points will work. It's a ten-month season of monthly head-to-head matches — every month starts fresh at 0–0, and the final week brings a playoff to crown the champion. The captains built the scoring around two principles: no single category should be able to win a month on its own, and no team should ever feel buried in last place ("not that Phil has any personal experience in this!").
And finally, President Beau shared his major service projects for the year:
And the year's marching orders, straight from the new president: "Find a reason to be here, not an excuse to miss."
Fresh from the Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Beau and Lauren brought back stories from a gathering of 37,000 Rotarians — including a full day of temples, gondola rides, zoo animals, and mystery-flavor shaved ice hosted by exchange student Daisy's parents, Oreo and Eva, and a Sunday with Taipei's "old boys" rugby crowd courtesy of a Durham Rotarian and rugby friend: 150 players sorted by the color of their shorts, from the under-40s to the under-90s, including one gentleman still on the pitch at 89 years and six months.
