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, Oregon. 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."
happening people
photograph and story by Paul Neevel
Eugene Weekly / 20 June 2019
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