Arnie Knepper Memorial Scholarship

Presented by the St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club

A $500 scholarship will be presented annually to a student in the High Performance Technology program at Ranken Technical Institute in St. Louis. It recognizes the winning student's commitment to the motorsports industry and will be based on grades, teacher recommendations, and two questions. The first presentation takes place at the 43 rd Annual Banquet of Champions, Sat., January 23, 2010.

The Knepper Family and the Fan Club’s goals are to present this award annually and eventually have it be self-sustaining. If you would like to be a sponsor of this scholarship award please contact an officer or board member.

Ranken students will bind an application available in October at the school. This scholarship replaces the former Arnie Knepper Award at the Banquet of Champions.

SPONSORED BY: STEIN AUTOMOTIVE—THE KNEPPER FAMILY—THE STANDRIDGE FAMILY

Arnie was a unique guy....... Eileen Waters vonHatten

He was an educator/teacher.............if Roger Penske (thoroughly knowledgeable about all kinds of racing) was standing next to a newbie (with no knowledge) and this person asked Arnie a question...........he could answer it so both could understand and neither would feel that their intelligence was being insulted.

He could build virtually anything out of anything.........he helped with the construction of their log cabin in Belleville, he took parts from old race cars of his and "sculpted" race cars.........we're the proud owners of the "Agony of Defeat" (used parts from broken cars), a quilt, a replica of his dad's car in a pedal car format for his grandson, etc.

I think I most admire his attitude and how he handled what life dealt him.  He was in the hospital when he died on June 6, 1992........it was about 4 in the morning and the nurses were there to take his vital signs.......as they had done 4 hours earlier at Midnight.........he asked what his numbers were and they had improved since the midnight readings, his response, "that's one for our side" and thirty minutes later he was gone..........he fought to the very end.  When he was at home and if you weren't paying careful attention he was exercising while you talked with him........he had been deliberately placed in a wheelchair (they had cut a nerve purposely that made his legs useless so he couldn't feel the pain he was in) and he had gotten some movement back which really upset his doctors.

He was also willing to help anyone get involved in racing wherever or however they wanted and he'd work shoulder to shoulder with you, but stopped when you stopped because he wouldn't do the work for you.

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