It was with deep sadness that we learned that Bob Knappage passed away on February 4 at age 75. Knappage was a great friend of reprographics and the IRgA (APDSP's predecessor), and in 2005 he was given IRgA's highest honor, the George Bukovsky Award. He also was a devoted executive of Thomas Printworks. Here is his official biography from the IRgA:
Bob Knappage began his career in reprographics as a manager trainee in August of 1974 at Thomas Reprographics. He was a store manager for one year and was then promoted to District Manager of their Houston operations. He continued there until March of 1984 when he was named Vice President of the company.
Bob served as the President of the Mid-South in 1987. He joined the board of directors of the IRGA in 1993 and served two three-year terms. He was president of the IRGA from 1997-1998. He also served on the ReproMax board from 2002-2004.
Bob thoroughly enjoyed his year as president of the IRGA. His travels to Cape Code, Kerrville, Hilton Head, Monterey, London, Germany, Switzerland, Hawaii and Nashville were very special. All the wonderful people, events and sites encountered along the way will not be forgotten. However, the highlight of his convention was being roasted by the past presidents!
Bob considers Bill Thomas his industry mentor. They have been working together for the past thirty years and have remained personal friends since grade school.
Bob has been a truly committed contributor to the industry. His passion for the business is apparent to everyone who knows him.
"I interviewed Bob several times over the years for Modern Reprographics magazine, Repro Report and other publications," says Ed Avis, managing director of APDSP. "He was always gracious with his time and knowledge and happy to share. The industry lost a giant with his passing."
You can read more about Knappage, including remembrances from Gene Klein, Bill Thomas and Paul Korman, and view a link of a video made when he retired from Thomas, by clicking here to Joel Salus' Repro 101 Blog.
This is a photo from Repro Report magazine in 2005, when Knappage won the Bukovsky Award.