$100,000 Randall Knowles Memorial Scholarship Pays Tribute to Son's Legacy

Southwest alumnus Randall Knowles

For Dr. Ralph Knowles, establishing a scholarship at Southwest was a great way to honor his son who excelled in the Hospitality Management Program. However, he had no idea that he himself would learn a lesson in patience and determination.

Dr. and Mrs. Knowles knew how much their son Randall loved the culinary arts concentration of his hospitality management program. Randall went on to achieve great success in the field, eventually moving to New Orleans to work in well-known Bourbon Street restaurants. Dr. Knowles and his wife moved to Pensacola, Fla. to be closer to him, but Randall passed away in 1997.

"My wife and I wanted to do something to memorialize him, but we couldn't find State Technical Institute at Memphis on the internet," said Dr. Knowles. "We asked our friends to find out what happened to the college but no one seemed to know."

After several years, hope for finding State Tech was running out. Out of the blue, Dr. Knowles stumbled upon the Southwest website. He was elated when he discovered that Southwest was the product of a merger of State Technical Institute at Memphis and Shelby State Community College.

He contacted Foundation scholarship director Cheryl Bingham to inquire about establishing an endowed scholarship in his son's name. Bingham introduced Knowles to Steven Leake, director of the Hospitality Management program. Dr. Knowles was so impressed that he established a $100,000 endowed scholarship in honor of Randall so that other students can get exceptional training in culinary arts just as Randall had.