Frederick Arthur Rowen, Sr. died at his home in Eureka on August 2, 2023, a few days before his 81st birthday. The cause of his death was a rare neurodegenerative disorder called Multiple Systems Atrophy which was diagnosed nine years ago. With the devoted care of his wife, Virginia, the strong support of his two sons, Fred Jr. and Brad, the weekly help of Alisa Osburn and in recent months the wonderful care from Hospice of Humboldt (special Thanks to Robert and Christina), Fred was able to remain at home throughout the progression of this disorder.

Fred and his twin brother, Frank, were born in Richmond, Calif. on August 22, 1942. The family moved to Eureka in their early years and Fred attended local schools, graduating in 1960 from Eureka High School. He served as a US Marine for the following 4 years and upon his return to Humboldt County he finished a degree in Economics at Humboldt State University in 1972.

While attending Humboldt State, Fred and his first wife, Sabina, had their two sons and Fred worked at Safeway, mainly in Arcata. He continued to work at Safeway until his retirement in 1997.

Fred and Virginia Snyder Rowen were married for over 45 years, having been married December 17, 1977. Fred lived a life filled with varied interests. He was a skilled builder, designing and building additions to their home and major remodels of most of the original house. He enjoyed river fishing with his sons and created fond memories for them. Fred had a real passion for baseball, from helping with our local little league for several years to supporting his sons’ baseball playing years. He was a big Giants fan and took several family trips to Spring Training Camps in Scottsdale, Arizona. He loved his garden, especially growing many vegetables. He had his first experience with international travel while in the Marines, but had more fun traveling with Virginia to Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain and Mexico. Their travel also included many destinations within the US and brought them joy for many years. In quieter moments Fred was an avid Crossword Puzzler and a reader.

Those who survive Fred are his wife, Virginia, his sons, Fred Jr. (Monica) and Brad (Yelena), his four grandchildren, Jannelle, Haylee, Nicolas and Vivienne, his two step grandchildren, Evan and Olivia, his brother, Robert (Moneca) and nephews, Robert and Todd and his sister in law and brother in law, Jane and Mike Minor and nephew, Josh Summerfield. Fred will be remembered by us all and by extended family and friends not mentioned here.

No services are planned at this time.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Fred Rowen’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Duane Harry Kempf, a life-long resident of Humboldt County, passed away peacefully in his family home in Loleta on June 5, 2023, after a long battle with illness at the age of 61.

The eldest child of Donald and Doris Kempf, Duane was born on July 30, 1961. He graduated from Fortuna Union High School in 1979, where he had participated in athletics, the FFA Vocational Agriculture Program, as well as worked on the family dairy farm. Duane married Robin Agajanian in 1984 and together they welcomed son Donald Wesley Kempf on December 2, 1985 and daughter Kelli Anna Kempf on March 17, 1988. Duane enjoyed his life as a dairy farmer until well into his 40s. In the early 2000s, he put his lifetime of experience and knowledge in agriculture to new use: sales. He worked with Ag Sales in Arcata before taking a position at Fernbridge Tractor & Equipment where he worked until he retired.

Preceded in death by his parents Donald and Doris Kempf and his younger brother Dean Kempf. He is survived by his children Donald Wesley Kempf (37) and Kelli Anna Kempf (35); his sister Denise Ann (Kempf) Regli and husband Dennis Regli; and niece Kayla Regli.

Duane was a good bowler and a good man. He was a man who loved horse racing and The Big Lebowski. Known affectionately as “Tiny” due to his short stature, standing a mere 6’10, Duane was good-natured, outgoing, an instant friend to everyone and will forever be in the hearts of all who knew him.

Duane “Tiny” Kempf
July 30, 1961 - June 5, 2023

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Duane Kempf’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

heroine (n.) “demigoddess,” from Latin heroine, heroina “a female hero, a demigoddess” (such as Medea), from Greek hērōine, fem. of hērōs

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This column all started with a minor disagreement, whether it was sexist to use the word “heroine.” We’ve certainly come a long way from “Mrs.” and “Girl Friday” and “You’re so pretty when you’re angry.” These days, female actors are (usually) “actors,” “nurses” can be male, female or anything else, “chairman” has given way to “chair,” similarly a “police officer” can come in any gendered version. Of course, like most language change, it can get a bit silly. For instance, five years ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scolded a woman in the audience who’d asked a question: “We like to say ‘peoplekind,’ not necessarily ‘mankind,’ because it’s more inclusive,” he said. (He then got it from both sides, both for mansplaining and for virtue-signaling.)

How about heroines? Those brave souls who fly in to save peoplekind from an awful fate, and who happen to have XY chromosomes: are they “heroines” or “female heroes”… or just “heroes”? I’m going to go with the former, because I want to make another point, and don’t want to bore you to death with semantics. They’re all heroines for the next five minutes, and I want to talk about epic heroines.

The literary form known as the epic is old, at least four thousand years old, since we have, in various copies, the Assyrian Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates back at least to 1600 BC and whose hero is probably based on a real king of the Sumerian city of Uruk who reigned around 2800 BC. Then we’ve got Homer’s heroes: Achilles, Hector, Ulysses and all the rest. In the Jewish Bible, there’s mythical Moses, while (later) Brits had the Beowulf and semi-mythical King Arthur…

Notice anything? They all, to a man, men. If you’re going to go with epics, you’re probably stuck with dudes, since it’s pretty hard to find worthy heroines. Maybe Euripedes’ jilted avenger Medea, or that other vengeful woman, Electra? There’s the (unhistorical) Esther, a Jewish orphan who was supposed to have become become Queen of Persia and saved her people from genocide. But they’re rather tame as heroes go — none evoke, for instance, the kind of prose that introduces the Iliad: “Sing, Goddess, Achilles’ rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks incalculable pain, pitched countless souls.” (You know you’re in for a wild ride before you’ve gone beyond the first line!)

All of which got me thinking about more modern, not-quite-epic heroines. On the fictional side, I’d name Jane Eyre, Hermione Granger, Ellen Ripley, Lisbeth Salander, Buffy Summers, Katniss Everdeen. And for real-life heroines, off the top  of my head: Hildegard of Bingen, Queen Elizabeth I of England, Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, Mother Jones (“The most dangerous woman in America”). Coming closer to our own time, how about Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Malala Yousafzai, Princess Di (for her willingness to embrace AIDS patients when everyone else was shunning them), Greta Thunberg…

Now I’d like to hear of your favorite heroines, real and fictional. 

PEARCH FIRE UPDATE: The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services issued an evacuation warning for Orleans residents shortly after 1 p.m.

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Original post:

Six Rivers National Forest and Hoopa Tribe Joint News Release:

Management of the Lone Pine Fire, Bluff Complex and Pearch fire is transitioning today from North Coast Type 3 Team to a type 1 team, California Incident Management Team 2.
 
The Lone Pine Fire, estimated at 1,200 acres, continues to creep along the forest floor with few flare ups overnight. Crews are directing the fire slowly down the Tish Tang ridgeline toward the mainstem Trinity River. Travelers on Highway 96 should not be alarmed if they see active fire near the riverbank as it is planned. Robust dozer line has been cut on the northern side, and crews will be working hard to hold the line today. The eastern side of the fire lost a lot of heat in the last 48 hours and is being monitored and held as well. Firefighters continue to corral the fire path downslope toward the river in a controlled and orderly fashion. 
 
Evacuation Advisory: An evacuation ADVISORY has been issued by the Hoopa Office of Emergency Services for zone HIA-E014-B. This zone is north of the Bigfoot Scenic Byway; south of Tish Tang Road; east of Tish Tang Road. This ADVISORY is a precautionary notice designed to give residents time to prepare for a possible evacuation. Potential for evacuation warning if fire crosses Tish Tang Creek. 
 
The Pearch Fire became active yesterday afternoon, expanding north and east to a new estimate of 400 acres this morning. Crews continue to work on community structure protection objectives. Additional resources continue to arrive on this fire to continue full suppression tactics.  

A community meeting is planned at the Karuk Department of Natural Resources located at 39051 Highway 96 in Orleans at 1:00pm. Community meeting will also be posted on the Six Rivers National Forest facebook page at www.facebook.com/sixriversnf
 
Bluff Complex consists of 5 separate fires located near the Bluff Creek area north of Mosquito Lake. The total acreage for the complex is approximately 400 acres with 0% containment. With limited resource capacity fires are being monitored and assessed. 
 
There are NO EVACUATIONS for any of the fires listed on this update. More information will be provided if fire conditions change. To view advisory location map visit www.protect.genasys.com or download the Genasys Protect App. Most importantly, all Humboldt County residents are encouraged to sign up for alerts on www.humboldtgov.org/alerts to receive advisory and evacuations notifications from the Humboldt County Sherriff.

Weather today will stay in the low 90s on the valley floors, while mid-slope and high country ridgelines will see mid-80s and even high 70s. This afternoon the region is under Red Flag Warning due to abundant lightning forecast from 1:00 pm until 10:00 pm this evening, with gust up to 40 mph. Smoke inversion will keep fuel moisture higher throughout the day, with RH hovering in the low 30s to 40s. 
 
Air quality is predicted to be Hazardous today. Avoid all outdoor physical activity. Sensitive groups should stay in a place with cleaner indoor air & keep activity levels light. Recommendation is to go someplace with air conditioning. 

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The kids are alright. 16 youth took Montana to court to challenge their state’s failure to consider greenhouse gas emissions when approving fossil fuel extraction permits. Using Montana’s unique constitution, which explicitly recognizes a right to a clean and healthy environment, the plaintiff’s alleged that Montana violated their constitutional rights. And a judge agreed. In a powerful 103 page ruling, Judge Kathy Seely outlined the facts about climate change and how Montana’s failure to consider greenhouse gas emissions when reviewing permits directly harmed the plaintiffs.

Environmental attorneys Tom Wheeler, Matt Simmons and Jen Marlow break down the case and its implications.

“The EcoNews Report,” Aug. 19, 2023.

Our Humboldt Bay pioneers were probably not fashion conscious, but they were undoubtedly clothes conscious. They were conscious of the fact that their clothes were often wet, dirty, and about to fall apart —- wet from the rain and the rivers, dirty from outdoor living, and about to fall apart from hard usage.

How do we know this? Because the La Motte brothers have told us about it.

The gold miner’s ideal ensemble, upon setting out: knee-high boots and a hardy jacket. Lithograph by Currier & Ives, between 1849 and 1856.

Robert and Harry La Motte, ages twenty-five and nineteen, came to Humboldt Bay in April 1850 on the Laura Virginia, the first ship of white settlers to enter the bay. They were faithful correspondents with their family back in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The family seems to have been bankrolling the young men’s California adventure by shipping them potential sales goods — items such as clothing, denim, ticking, eggs, preserves, gingerbread, and paper, not to mention a transit so that Robert, a surveyor, could practice his profession. In fact, it is Robert La Motte who produced the survey for the Laura Virginia Company’s land speculation scheme, Humboldt City. This survey, which is an unusual colored specimen, can be found in the Humboldt County Recorder’s Office map collection.

The original La Motte letters are now at the Bancroft Library, and they are a prime source for descriptions of daily life and activities here on Humboldt Bay.1 The brothers write home about the daily particulars of food, clothing, and shelter on the frontier, and some of their liveliest writing is on the subject of clothing. The two brothers had high hopes of turning a profit by making needed articles of clothing available to their fellow pioneers. As Robert writes to his mother on June 23, 1850:

Tell Dan that heavy clothing will always pay a moderate profit, sometimes a large one, heavy boots, of large sizes say not less than No. 8’s & mostly 10’s & 12’s pay well.

Robert to Dan, July 28, 1850:

I think of opening a store here with Hob. Smith & if I do that will give Harry a chance to do something than to shoot Elk & tear his breeks [trousers]. By the way, talking of breeks — have those coats & breeks been sent us… am much obliged for your prompt attention as our present garments are rather seedy.

Robert to Dan, November 23, 1850:

You speak in your letter about shipping heavy clothing & want me to particularize as to the kinds wanted — any heavy clothing has paid well so far but the best are pilot cloth monkey jackets & course pants. Those long boots are beautiful. If I had had some of them last winter I could have got from $75 to 100 pr pair for them. I think that setting Haws at work is a good idea—let them be large sizes from 9s to 11s and reaching to the knee which is the most saleable kind. They are worth from $9 to $16 a pair now.

In the first of several reports on the state of their own clothing, Harry tells his mother on July 28, 1850:

This place is death on pants — on account of the bushes that we have to go into to kill game, but I guess I will foot shine before shortly; for I am tanning an Elk skin, Indian fashion, to make a pair.

The success of everybody on the Laura Virginia expedition, no matter their vocation or social standing, depended on Humboldt Bay becoming a gateway to the Trinity mines. Here is Harry to his mother, telling about a road-building expedition to Trinity River, August 12, 1850:

It was determined that each member should go and work ten days on the road or pay a fine of $100 & so nearly every member up here shouldered his axe or pick and started to work out his road tax. There were eighteen of us … . It was a queer party to go on such an expedition. Lawyers, MDs, Merchants and gentlemen all dressed in their strongest clothes.

We were at work 11 days… . Our garments in the mean time had become a little the worse of the wear for tramping among the bushes & logs makes the wear and tare considerable, particularly the latter. Fortunately we came across a few Indians and in consideration of a few strings of beads got several deerskins tanned with the hair on. Oh, what a cutting and patching there was in camp that night—next day you’d see a man who had on a pair of black pants with a patch on his seat of honor about a foot square, say nothing of the difference in material and color, but having the hair on was odd.

Harry to his mother, September 11, 1850:

Father writes me that George called his second youngster after me. Well, health & Happiness to him, but as to the “satinet pantaloons” — if he were to see my old leather pants, his little heart would melt with pity.

The most interesting description of clothing is in this same letter, Harry’s report on some overland pioneers:

Numbers of Emigrants are arriving on the Bay from different parts of California, bringing stock of all kinds, as well as their families. A few days ago I saw an old Mountaineer & Hunter (who by the way was formerly a guide to Jack Hays) bringing his “women & children” to Humboldt. The old man rode ahead dressed in a full suit of buckskin with a long rifle across his knees; next came his cattle & horses driven by his elder son dressed in the same manner then came his wife on horseback in company with her daughter and little son; the little chap took my eye; he was about nine years old, dressed also in leather and on a splendid wild looking California horse. Well, in that manner they came from Sonoma, a distance of about three hundred miles.

The La Mottes spent about a year and a half on Humboldt Bay, sailing back and forth to San Francisco and looking after their various financial enterprises. But they always seemed to be a day late and a dollar short — buying high, selling low, missing the peak of the market and the flush times, having difficulty collecting for their sales, services and insurance losses. In one of his letters to his father at the end of 1852, Robert says, “I have learned that after I left Humboldt some persons ‘jumped my claim’ there, and sold it to other parties for $10,000 and they afterwards refused $30,000 for it. My luck — but I don’t worry myself about it for I had to leave or starve.”

And he might have added: At least I got out with the clothes on my back — my blue pilot cloth monkey jacket and my beautiful knee high boots.

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The story above was originally printed in the Summer 2011 issue of The Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society, and is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

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On Aug. 1, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint in federal court alleging that serious financial crimes were perpetrated by the now-defunct investment firm Sisu Capital, LLC, and by its owner/CEO Timothy Overturf, of Arcata, and his father, Hansueli “Hans” Overturf.

Specifically, the complaint says that between 2017 and 2021, the Overturfs breached their legal duties as financial advisors by lying to their clients and making “unauthorized and unsuitable” trades on their behalf. The commission is seeking injunctions, penalties and “disgorgement of ill-gotten gains,” meaning they want the Overturfs to fork over the money they allegedly earned illegally, plus interest and fines.

[Note: Sisu Capital, LLC, has no relation to the local cannabis company Sisu Extracts. I stand corrected. The Sisu parent company shared at least one executive with Sisu Extracts. John Figueiredo is listed as the cofounder and former CEO of both companies on various online business directories, and he was a registered financial advisor with Sisu Capital from 2015-2016. You can see him tell his own story in this YouTube video. By way of disclosure, I knew John when he was a kid, nearly two decades ago, when I worked for his parents at Figueiredo’s Video in Arcata.]

[UPDATE, Aug. 21: Reached via text message, John Figueiredo sent the following statement:

I worked briefly at SISU Capital part time (10 hrs/month) from 2015-2016 while I was a software engineer in San Francisco, aiming to learn about investing. I ultimately left because the company’s risk reward profile didn’t align with my values. SISU Extracts, now employee-owned, serves as a vital financial pillar for our community, collaborating with numerous local farms to support our local economy. It’s important to note that no person currently working at SISU Extracts has ever had any connection with SISU Capital.]

Timothy Overturf purchased the Arcata Theatre Lounge in 2019 with business partner Joseph Ostini. His dad, Hans, was accused in 2004 of bilking an elderly couple with dementia out of $730,000 by convincing them to invest in a posh resort called Redwood Parks Lodge, which was never built. After the elderly couple died, Hans agreed to pay their family $420,000. The charges were dropped, though Hans was later twice suspended by the State of California from acting as an investment advisor.

The SEC complaint alleges that he did so anyway. It says Hans Overturf, who now lives in Switzerland, referred many of his own investment advisory clients to his son’s new company, Sisu, which Timothy Overturf founded in 2013 at the age of 18. 

The complaint further alleges that Hans advised Sisu clients, made investment decisions and trades with their accounts while using his limited power of attorney and sent emails with a signature block that identified him as “Trader” and “Head of Business Development, Sisu Holding Company, Inc.” He also failed to inform clients of his suspension, according to the complaint.

“Timothy Overturf knew Hans Overturf was suspended and prohibited from providing advisory services to Sisu clients during his suspension,” the SEC complaint says. “Nevertheless, Timothy Overturf allowed his father to communicate directly with Sisu clients and make investment decisions for Sisu managed accounts.”

Sisu Capital, LLC, targeted rich clients who invested large sums. In the less than six years that the company was registered as an investment advisor with the State of California, the complaint says, “Sisu offered investment advisory and portfolio management services to approximately 42 high-net-worth clients and reported assets under management up to approximately $51.7 million.”

Before shutting down in 2021, Sisu and Timothy Overturf received at least $2 million in payments from clients while acting contrary to their interests, the complaint alleges. It also says that from 2017 to 2019, the year Timothy Overturf and his business partner purchased the Arcata Theatre, the younger Overturf took home roughly $858,000 in owner draws and loans from the company.

Reached by phone on Friday afternoon, Timothy Overturf said he hadn’t yet read a copy of the SEC filing, “so I don’t know what that specific complaint is about.”

I read to him from the document’s summary of accusations.

“I can’t comment on that,” he said. “It’s just such a complicated accusation that getting into it with you is not going to answer any questions.” He declined to comment further.

Here are a few specifics about how Timothy and his father allegedly misled their clients: In 2018, the broker-dealer that held Sisu clients’ funds terminated its relationship with the company. (The SEC complaint doesn’t say why.) Afterwards, the commission alleges, Hans Overturf made misleading statements to clients about the split, telling them that Sisu was moving their accounts to a new brokerage firm because it was more flexible and had lower fees.

Hans also allegedly convinced clients to allow him access to their successor brokerage accounts, after which he and Timothy proceeded to make trades that were contrary to their clients’ instructions.

“For example,” the complaint says, “in October 2019, and again in March 2021, Timothy Overturf purchased thinly-traded stock [meaning stocks that can’t be easily sold or exchanged for cash without a big drop in price] of a particular bank (“the Bank”) for five Sisu accounts, but in each instance the transactions were contrary to the clients’ instructions.

“In one instance,” the complaint continues, “Timothy Overturf purchased 2,300 additional shares of the Bank’s stock between March 2020 and March 2021 for the account of a Sisu client after that client had specifically and repeatedly instructed Hans Overturf, verbally and in writing, to sell his holdings in the Bank’s stock and that he did not want to invest in the stock of any bank. Timothy Overturf was aware of the client’s instruction to Hans Overturf.”

The SEC alleges that Timothy and Hans Overturf had a secret plan to amass enough shares in this bank, among themselves and their clients, to propose partnership ideas with the bank, “including leveraging the Bank’s charter to accept crypto assets and to offer Bank customers Sisu’s advisory services.”

Another accusation: Hans recommended to Sisu clients, and purchased on their behalf, “unsuitable, complex financial instruments,” including something called an “inverse short-term volatility futures product,” which is designed to be traded quickly but which Sisu held onto, against their clients’ express instructions, for months or, in some cases, more than a year. 

All the while, Sisu was charging clients an annual fee equal to two percent of the assets they’d entrusted to the company, plus a 20 percent performance fee. 

The SEC accuses Sisu and the Overturfs of violating several sections of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and asks the court, among other things, to make Sisu and Timothy Overturf give up “all ill-gotten gains or unjust enrichment derived from the activities set forth in this complaint,” plus interest and civil penalties.

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DOCUMENT: SEC v. Sisu Capital, LLC, Timothy Overturf and Hansueli Overturf