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Past District Governor Walt Schloer
Rotary Club of Bend High Desert
A native of Minnesota, Walt was raised in Minneapolis and graduated from the Univ. of Minnesota in 1961 with a degree in forestry and later did graduate work in Public Administration at the Univ. of California at Santa Barbara. He joined the US Forest Service and later transferred to the US Army where he served as a cryptographer. Following an assignment at the Pentagon he transferred to Saigon where he remained until 1964.
Walt's entire 44-year professional career has been spent as a forester with the US Forest Service. He is currently the Bend-Fort Rock District Ranger on the Deschutes National Forest. In 1993, he was named a "Point of Light" by the Chief of the Forest Service for work on a Rotary water project in Mexico. In 2003 he was named the first national recipient of the John R. McGuire Award presented by the Chief of the Forest Service and the National Association of Forest Service Retirees. A Licensed Professional Forester, he served two years as Chairman of the Southern California Section of the Society of American Foresters.
A member of the Executive Board of the Crater Lake Council, Boy Scouts of America since 1996, he has served 11 years as a Board member for the Pilot Butte Partners and spent 11 years as a volunteer for the International Order of Job’s Daughters & the Order of DeMolay.
He joined the RC of Ojai (CA) in 1977 and has had 100% attendance since. Moving to Bend in 1980, he joined the RC of Bend and after organizing and chartering the new RC of Bend High Desert in 2001, he became a charter member. Walt’s club service includes Youth Exchange, Rotary Tree of Joy, World Community Service, GSE, and The Rotary Foundation. In 1994 he was named the Rotary Club of Bend’s Rotarian of the Year. He served the Rotary Club of Bend as a Board member and Club President in 1998-99, receiving the RI Presidential Citation and a $25,000 Children’s Opportunities Grant for the Shots for Tots program. The program was recognized by RI with a Significant Achievement Award and to date has immunized over 6000 children in Deschutes County.
Walt has 15 years of District experience on the World Community Service Committee, eight years on the executive committee, chairing the committee from 1997-1999 and again in 2004-2005. He has served on the District GSE and Ambassadorial Scholar committees since 1999 and previously served on the Communications Committee. A member of the first class of graduates of the District Leadership Academy in 1999, he has been an instructor since the Academy was founded. He also Walt & Kellyserved two years as a Governor’s Representative and three years as Assistant Governor. In 1999 he was named the District 5110 Rotarian of the Year and in 2005 he was named the Bend High Desert Rotary Club's "Rotarian of the Year.".
Walt and Harriett (also a member of the RC of Bend High Desert) were married in 1969 and have a son, Karl, a career officer in the US Air Force and a daughter, Kelly, a 6th Grade teacher in the Bend-LaPine School District. Kelly is also a Rotarian and a member of the Rotary Club of Bend High Desert. The Schloer's have two grandsons, William, age 6 and Matthew, age 4 who take up all of their "spare time".
Walt is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow (12), a Foundation Benefactor and both Walt and Harriett are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation. All members of the extended Schloer family are Paul Harris Fellows, including grandsons Will and Matt who were awarded their Paul Harris Fellows on the day of their birth.
In 2003 the RI Board of Directors honored Walt with the "Service Above Self Award" . . . . Rotary’s highest honor.
