Awards

Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Honors Three Generations of Knappenberger Family

 
Manhattan – The Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Alumni Association are proud to present the Knappenberger Family with a 2004 Alumni Recognition Award. The Award will be presented to the family at the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA) annual meeting and brunch on January 11, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka, Kansas.

Dr. Joseph Knappenberger graduated from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1935, establishing a family legacy which continues today. After earning his doctorate in veterinary medicine from K-State, Joseph joined a practice in Ohio but returned to Manhattan after only six months to take a College of Veterinary Medicine faculty teaching position. After one year, Dr. Knappenberger moved to Hutchinson where he set-up a general practice with his brother, Dr. Jack Knappenberger.

Joe Knappenberger remained in Hutchinson until 1948, upon which he accepted a position with Ash Lockhart, which would move him and his family to Olathe. Joseph passed away in 1992 and is survived by his wife Opal and their four children: Dr. Tom E. Knappenberger (KSU DVM 1962), Mrs. Janice Kay Dunn (KSU 1964 Elementary Education), Mrs. Mary Jane Janssen (KSU 1970 Speech), and Don Knappenberger (KSU 1972 Pre-law). Opal established the Dr. Joseph F. and Opal S. Scholarship Endowment for the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999.

Today, Dr. Tom Knappenberger, a 1962 K-State DVM graduate, carries on the family tradition at the Knappenberger Veterinary Clinic in Olathe, Kansas. Tom welcomed his son, Dr. Todd Knappenberger, to the practice in 1999 after his graduation from K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. At the clinic, Tom and Todd are joined by their wives Shirley and Tricia, who coordinate as office managers, as well as Todd's brother Rex and his wife Shelly, who have their own business which provides all the boarding and grooming services for the clinic. For the Knappenbergers, veterinary medicine is truly a family affair.

Tom and Todd may carry on the family tradition today, but they were not the first to follow in their father's footsteps. Joe's younger brother Dr. Jack Knappenberger graduated from K–State with his DVM in 1939. After graduation, Jack entered the United States Army Veterinary Corps in 1940 and served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1945. Jack then joined his older brother Joe in practice in Hutchinson from 1945 to 1948 until relocating to Lincoln, Nebraska where he began his career with Norden Laboratories.

Dr. Jack Knappenberger began at Norden Laboratories as a Field Representative but was quickly promoted to Assistant Sales Manager in 1953 and Sales Manager in 1955. In 1958, ten years after joining the firm, Jack was made a member of the Board of Directors. Next, Jack became Director of Marketing in 1961 and Vice President of the Marketing Division in 1966. Dr. Jack Knappenberger became President of Norden Laboratories on May 9, 1969, and Chairman of the Board a year later, where he remained until his death in 1973.

Jack is survived today by wife Elizabeth Chickering Knappenberger Elm, and children Joe Knappenberger, Peg Rupprecht, and Katherine Eldridge. All three children are graduates of Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska. Jack's granddaughter Dr. Elise Knappenberger, University of Georgia 2000, is also a veterinarian.

Just as the Knappenberger family has an outstanding reputation as professionals, all three generations have been exemplary community leaders. Joseph served one year as the president of KVMA, as a board member for both Farm Bureau and the Johnson County Fair Board, and was president of the church congregation at Salem Lutheran Church in Lenexa, Kansas. Jack was active in the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the Board of Directors of the Animal Health Institute, the American Veterinary Exhibitors Association, and the Nebraska Association of Commerce and Industry. He was an Elder at the Eastridge Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, and served on the Board of Directors of the Lincoln YMCA, the Board of Trustees of Hastings College, and was a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank. Tom's involvement includes: Rotary Club, Extension Board of Johnson County, Johnson County Fair Board (president), Farm Bureau Board, and St. Mark's Church Council. Tom also established the 4-H Veterinary Science Youth Program for Johnson County, which is carried on today by his son Todd.

The recognition awards are in grateful recognition of the time and effort devoted to advancing the profession of veterinary medicine and for being an exemplary role model for future alumni of the College of Veterinary medicine at Kansas State University in a professional and community setting.