10 September marks the day when Korporatsioon Rotalia lost one of its long-serving, highly respected and distinguished member, Uve Jürgen Kapsi.
Uve was born in Tallinn on 21 July 1932, the youngest of three children, following two older sisters. The family lived in the Kadriouru section of Tallinn. His father owned and operated the only BMW auto dealership in Estonia. Uve finished elementary school at the English College in Tallinn.
During World War II, the family moved to Germany to escape the tyranny of the Soviet Union. They lived in Dannenberg and later in Oldenburg. After Uve’s graduation from an Estonian High School in Oldenburg, the family moved to Munich where he entered the University. In 1952, Uve was awarded a World Lutheran Council scholarship to emigrate and study in the United States. Uve chose to enter the University of Nebraska, in Lincoln, where he studied business administration, and after four years was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
At the time, the United States was in the midst of a cold war with the Soviet Union and the country had initiated a requirement that all able-bodied young men serve in the US military. In 1955, after graduating from the University of Nebraska, Uve joined the US Army, and was stationed in West Germany. There, Uve was associated with the Voice of America, broadcasting Estonian-language programs, directed at Estonian audiences behind the Iron Curtain. After completing a two-year term in the US Army, Uve was discharged, having met his military obligation with honors. After his discharge, Uve continued his military service as an Army Reservist for another six years. Reentering civilian life in 1957, Uve joined the sales division of Unitog, a uniform manufacturing and sales company in Kansas City.
While at the University of Nebraska, Uve met Jeanne and they were married in 1957. Shortly thereafter Uve and Jeanne moved to Seattle where Uve joined the Boeing Company in their Finance Department. Jeanne joined the faculty of the Overlake School (private), as a French language teacher. Together they had two children, Ken and Stephani. Uve and Jeanne resided in northeast Seattle.
At the Boeing Company, Uve advanced through the ranks and was assigned to a commercial airplane sales team, with a territory that covered the Arabian Peninsula. His specific duties were to negotiate sales agreements with Boeing commercial airplane customers. He traveled widely throughout the world and often visited his parents and his two sisters who resided in Munich. Uve retired from the Boeing Company in 1993, after a thirty-five year tenure.
During retirement, Uve and Jeanne traveled widely and often. In 2012, he and Jeanne took their children Ken and Stephani to Estonia to show them where has was born and had lived for the first nine years of his life. It was a moving experience for all. His four grandchildren, born in the 1990’s, brought great joy to his life.
As a father and a family man, Uve and Jeanne were very active in the Seattle Estonian Community, participating in various cultural and social activities throughout the years. Uve was also a member of the Korporatsioon Rotalia, a Tartu University academic fraternity with active Chapters in Seattle and Vancouver, BC. In 2014, Uve was granted Emeritus status, having been a member of Korporatsioon Rotalia for a period of 50 years. He was often elected as chairman of the Seattle Chapter and carried out that function with distinction. Further, he was also a member of the Rotalia Foundation, a 501c3 IRS certified non-profit charitable corporation, founded in Seattle in 1982 by Gerhard Treuberg, a longtime member of the Korporatsioon Rotalia. He served for many years as the Foundation’s Board of Directors Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer, without compensation. Over the life of its existence, the Foundation has awarded close to 1,000 scholarships to higher education students enrolled at Universities and accredited Institutions in Tartu and Tallinn. In 2015, the Foundation awarded fifty (€2,000 each) scholarships.
Uve’s contribution to the Foundation was immeasurable. At the Board of Director’s meetings, early on, after the Foundation was formed and the base capital was in place, there were many issues to settle, goals to agree upon, operating procedures to be established, what programs to fund and at what level, and others. These issues and many more were hotly debated, often between members of the Board of Directors, having taken uncompromising positions. It was Uve’s calm and reasoned demeanor and integrity, accompanied by the trust and respect that he commanded from all of the Board members that settled these arguments and built a solid base for the Foundation to operate, which are in effect today. Uve will be missed at the future Board of Director’s meetings. There is an empty chair at the table.
Uve filled a special and irreplaceable niche in the hearts of his family and friends. We remember him as a compassionate and courageous, person who encouraged and empowered others to do well. He was gracious and complimentary to everyone he met. He never said unkind words to anyone. Uve died on 10 September 2015 as a result of head trauma due to a fall at home two days earlier. He will be missed but not forgotten.
Mart Kask
Korporatsioon Rotalia
