John Henry Nopel

JOHN HENRY NOPEL

Memorial services will be held for John Henry Nopel, 92, of Chico at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27, 2006, at the Bidwell Memorial Presbyterian Church. He died Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006, at his home.

John was a third generation resident of the Chico area. He was the grandson of the Frederick Christopher Nopel family that built a log cabin in Forest Ranch in 1889, and the Hugh Thomas Bell family that founded the Bell Ranch in the Nord area in 1874.

Nopel was born in Los Angeles on Nov. 9, 1914, and lived his entire life in California. The family moved to Raymond in 1917, and to Chico in 1919. He went through schools in Chico, graduating from Chico High School in 1931, and from Chico State College in 1935. He did graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a Masters Degree in 1940. He taught elementary schools in Anderson (Shasta County), Chico, and Alameda, and became the first principal of the Hooker Oak Elementary School in Chico in 1948. He then became the assistant superintendent of the Chico City Schools, and his last 17 years were as associate superintendent in the office of the Butte County Superintendent of Schools.

Following retirement in 1975 he served as a part-time member of the staff at Butte College as an instructor in the history of Butte County. He was inducted into the Chico Public Education Hall of Fame in 1994.

Nopel was a lifelong participant in community activities. He was a member and leader in the Boy Scouts of America for 79 years. He was a member of the first work crew that began building the Boy Scout Camp Lassen in Chico Meadows in 1934, and later served as vice-president of the Mt. Lassen Area Council. As an adult leader he was scoutmaster of Troop 28 in Anderson, of Troop 3 in Chico, and was the first cubmaster of Pack 9 at the Citrus Avenue School. He was master counselor of the Chico Chapter of the Order of DeMolay, and was a 60-year member of Chico-Leland Stanford Lodge No. 111, F. & A.M.

John was associated with the Bidwell Memorial Presbyterian Church for 86 years and was a member since 1928. He served as a church elder and member of the board of trustees. He was the first president of the Chico Area Council of Churches, which was organized in 1956.

Nopel served as president of the Chico State Alumni Association in 1949, and was chairman of the Bidwell Council of Campfire Girls in 1951. Other memberships included the Chico 20-30 Club, two Chico Lions Clubs, the board of directors of the Chico Community Chest, Chico Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Butte County Chapter of the TB Association. After his retirement he was president of the Butte County Library Corporation, which was responsible for the construction of new library buildings in Chico and Gridley. He was presented the City of Chico Certificate of Appreciation in 1960, for able and active service to the City of Chico.

Research and study of local history was a lifelong hobby. He accumulated an outstanding collection of photographs of early Chico and Butte County, and was often called upon to share these with community groups. He served as president of the Butte County Historical Society in 1965, and was editor of the society publication "DIGGIN'S" for several years. He served twice as president of the Bidwell Mansion Association, was a member of the board of directors of the Chico Museum, and was a member of the California Historical Society. He was recognized by the Conference of California Historical Societies with an Award of Merit in 1994 for distinguished contributions to California history.

He was a member and leader of several professional organizations during his 38 years as a teacher and school administrator. He was president of the Northern Section of the California Elementary Administrators Association in 1953, was chairman of the Northern Section of the California Association of School Administrators, and was a founding member of the present Association of California School Administrators. He was a member of the American Association of School Administrators, of the National Association of School Business Officials, and served a term as vice-president of the 13th District of the California Congress of Parents and Teachers. He was the first president of the California State University, Chico Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, a professional fraternity in education.

His interest in and contribution to community affairs was exemplary. But first and foremost, he was dedicated to family over All these associations and involvement were conducted with an honesty and integrity that won the respect of so many over the years. His entire lifetime. He grew up with extended family around him. In 1938, he met Pheleita Porter of Ord Bend while both were living in Berkeley. They were married in Chico in 1940, and celebrated their 66th anniversary in August of this year. Their marriage was a wonderful testimony to love and teamwork. They had three children born to them, all three graduates of Chico State and all three living. Janet Moore lives in Davis; David in Chico, and Robert in Renton, Wash. Three granddaughters: Cynthia and Julie Moore, Allison Nopel, and grandson-in-law, Robert Allan, and two great-grandsons, Adam and Ryan Moore, complete the family. The bond and commitment to family truly was the real cornerstone of his life, from the beginning to the very end.

A fund has been established to restore and provide illumination for the Bidwell Memorial Window in the narthex of the Presbyterian Church. The window was initially installed in Chico's first Presbyterian Church, built at the corner of 4th Street and Broadway in 1871. The window was moved to the present church location when that building was completed in 1909. The window survived the large fire of 1931.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to this restoration fund can be made in Nopel's memory in care of Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home. Remembrances can be sent online at nbcfh.com.