Remembering Steve Fogle for the Man that He Was

by Nancy Norstad for the San Francisco Spectrum

On October 6th, following the launch of a county investigation into Russian River Chamber Finances, which took computers and financial records from the office at Guernville Plaza, Executive Director Steve Fogle went on to a Chamber General Meeting which featured a Business Expo at Rio Villa Beach Resort in Monte Rio. The next morning, he did not come in to work, but since he was frequently out of the office at meetings, it wasn't until that evening when he didn't return home that Chamber President Verna Preaseau alerted the local authorities that she felt uneasy. By mid day Thursday, Fogle's car was located at a Days Inn Motel in Ukiah where the housekeeping staff discovered Fogle's body, dead of an overdose of sleeping pills. It has been determined that as much as $48,000 of Chamber funds is missing. The Chamber holds both Officer's / Director's and Employee Dishonesty insurance, so the funds will likely be recovered. The community, however, is shocked to the core by Steve Fogle's death.

When Fogle responded to the “Help Wanted” posting on craigslist.org in May of 2003, the board was stunned by his over qualification, his candid demeanor and his aspiration to ‘make a difference’ in a community he had come to love; first as a part-time getaway resident, then as an early retiree at 40 when he hand life partner Mike Klugow decided they really didn’t want to go ‘home’ to the City anymore.

Fogle’s role in the community was nothing short of phenomenal. He didn’t shrink from taking on more and more responsibilities, and instead grabbed the limelight on many local issues as a proponent of environmental protection and community solidarity. He enjoyed the politics and was not intimidated by the ‘old guard’ or the press. By the end of his first year, you could do a google search on him and you’d find upwards of three pages of various references.

While the circumstances surrounding the financial investigation of the Chamber and Fogle’s death are extremely bewildering, no one argues that Steve wasn’t instrumental in bringing a great vitality to the community.

As a result of his leadership and accessibility to individual community members, the region has a nearly fanatical fondness for Fogle, both in life and in memory, and for his partner of 20 years, Mike Klugow, who survives him.

Klugow, who's plucky sense of humor and infectious smile make him a natural greeter at the Russian River Visitors Center, has become a fixture in the Guerneville Plaza that tourists can rely on for assistance and the local businesses have come to depend on for referrals.

Programs such as Eco-Tourism, Up With Downtown, No Low Flow and the Holiday Parade of Lights were chaired by Fogle in an over-the-top manner of enthusiasm. New chairs for these programs are being sought to carry on the work that has been done to date.

There is no doubt about the remarkable legacy Steve Fogle leaves the River community. He had a great knack for inspiring people who, as willing volunteers, began to see themselves as leaders. “He really got people to see the big picture,’ says Toni Tacoma, a board member who specializes in soliciting corporate sponsorships for local events. “He got people to listen to one another about what was really important - like the homeless issue as it affronted the tourism aspect of the area. It wasn’t a situation without a resolution; it just needed to work for both sides in a way that would make everyone more comfortable. Homelessness wasn’t the real problem; public impropriety and panhandling were making the merchants and the visitors uncomfortable. Those things were manageable through a pragmatic restructuring of our downtown oversight.”

Steve was a visionary. His wit and intelligence made it easy for him to infect others with his feverish enthusiasm for positive change. “The most refreshing thing was not to have to hear “No, it just can’t be done” or “No, it’s just not done that way.” With Steve Fogle, it was “Who says it always has to be done that way?” or “Sure, it might be difficult, but I know we can do it.”

That kind of attitude, and the action through example model he promoted, made people want to set and reach goals with Fogle. Those goals are still in evidence by the many times during the last couple of weeks we’ve heard “That’s the way Steve would have done it” or “Steve would have insisted we have a toast and worry about the rest of it in the morning.”

At a memorial held at Fifes Guest Ranch on Monday, October 18th, nearly the entire business community and most of the local politicos were in attendance, along with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Chamber Board, committee volunteers and county representatives, friends and family. Linda Burke and partner Ted brought a freshly painted white canoe overflowing with flowers for the entry to Fifes Roadhouse Restaurant in memory of Fogle's No Low Flow advocacy. The gathering ended with about 250 people singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," many through tears.

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