Published date: April 4, 2025
Welcome to the Order of the Golden Knuckle.
At the 1987 Spring Conference, Pat Napolitano, a past president (1985) presented to the then-President Hugh Kalani (1987) a big, rusty “hunk of iron” to recognize Hugh’s service to the Chapter. This heavy hunk of iron was actually a part of a train-coupling mechanism that Pat had scrounged from the railroad yards near Hermiston. For the following conference, Hugh embellished the award by adding steel wheels that came from an “antique” International truck and presented the hunk of iron, now known as Gizmo, to Jeff Ballard; thus beginning the tradition of honoring Chapter Service by inducting members into the Order of the Golden Knuckle. Each recipient is encouraged to add an embellishment to Gizmo. In 1993, Larry Rice, award recipient, requested that the chapter turn the award into a fundraiser for the Oregon APWA Education Foundation. Over the years it has raised more than $500,000 for scholarships. The list of “winners” reads like a Who’s Who of chapter history, and the embellishments catalog 38 years of culture and 76 versions of personal taste.
“You pay to give it and not to get it!” At the center of the fundraiser concept is “you pay to give it and not to get it!” At each conference, the Golden Knuckle Consigliore’s create a slate of candidates who they feel are worthy of the award. Attendees of the conferences get to vote for the candidate buy donating to the Oregon APWA Foundation. You get “points” depending on the level of your contribution; the more dollars, the more points. You apply the points to the name(s) of the person(s) you want to receive the award. The person with the most points at the end of the conference takes Gizmo home with the expectation that it’s proudly featured in their office.
How You Can Help:
We’re looking for donations of all kinds—past contributions have included:
🎁 Gift baskets
🚁 Excursions & guided tours
🎤 Storytelling sessions
💡 Unique experiences (spending quality time with homebrew time, materials, and expertise, but be careful as homebrewers quickly learn that yeast is a powerful little beast = Fermentation Explosion)
What We Need From You:
If you’re able to donate, please let us know:
✔ Who is donating?
✔ What’s the item/experience?
✔ Approximate value ($$)?
✔ Any fun details to share?
✔ Your nomination for the next Gizmo recipient!
If you are able to contribute, please let us know by April 18th.
If you have items to donate for the live or silent auctions please reach out to Tony Roos (troos@kittelson.com), Krey Younger (krey@centralgeotech.com), Michael Miotke (mmiotke@dowl.com), or Mandy Flett (mandy.flett@otak.com) with any questions or donation details.