Chip Radebaugh

“I was ‘Chip’ from day one,” says Chip Radebaugh, whose given name is Charles, like his optometrist father, Charlie. Born on an Air Force base in Texas, Radebaugh lived on another base in Japan until age five, when his family moved to Cottage Grove. He came to Eugene with his mom when his parents separated a year later. “I went to the YMCA summer camp when I was a kid,” he notes. After graduating from South Eugene High School and from the University of Puget Sound, where he studied psychology and business, Radebaugh spent four summers as a fishing guide in Alaska. “It was awesome,” he says. Returning to Eugene, he worked in real estate and joined the Y once again. “I’ve always turned to it for social connection,” he says, “and for mind and body conditioning.” He noticed a young woman, Elise, in a step aerobics class, was introduced by mutual friends, and they began dating. Together, they moved to her home state, Colorado, to study at the University of Colorado. “I got law and MBA degrees, she did veterinary medicine, and we got married,” he says. “We moved back to Eugene in 2006 and renewed our YMCA membership.” Chip Radebaugh began working for Rainbow Valley Design and Construction in 2007. He is now a partner and general manager of the company. Elise opened her holistic veterinary practice, the Healing Paws Wellness Center, in 2008. In 2010, Radebaugh approached the Eugene Family YMCA to ask, “Can I lend a hand?” He’s been a member of the YMCA’s volunteer board ever since, and is currently its president. “The Y is an important community hub,” he says. “It’s the largest after-school care provider in Lane County, serving 17 elementary schools. Each day those kids get a healthy snack and participate in athletic and artistic activities.”

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!