Many people know a wrestler or other person
affiliated with the wrestling business who has received
some type of assistance from the CAC Benevolent Fund.
Few, though, probably know that CAC also has a
Scholarship Fund. Well, shame on us for not getting the
word out in the past, but that ends today! In 1992,
Rev. Bill Pappas asked the Cauliflower Alley Club to
assist his grandson who was attempting to qualify for
the Olympics and concurrently donated the first $1,000
that was to go into the Scholarship Fund. Shortly
thereafter, the estate of Joe Malcewicz gave $10,000 to
the fund and we were rolling. Tom Drake, highly regarded
member of the CAC Board of Directors, has said that he
will match all contributions to the fund. The
Scholarship Fund continues to this day and is prepared
to offer financial assistance to those qualified
individuals in need. Scholarships ranging from $250 to a maximum of $2,000
can be awarded to high school students preparing to head
to college and those already in college who are in need
of assistance. While most of our recipients have been
wrestlers and it is certainly our pleasure to offer
financial assistance to the next generation of great
amateur wrestlers, the scholarship is available to those
outside the wrestling world as well. As a matter of
fact, we have awarded scholarships to two individuals
outside of wrestling programs. Some of our past recipients of the CAC Scholarships
have been the Morgan brothers who made the USA Olympic
team, Tom Pappas who won numerous national titles and
has been voted the “fastest man in the world” and,
perhaps, the one we are most proud of: Nick Ackerman.
Nick is a double amputee who lost both legs at a young
age but went on to win the national wrestling
championship and serve as a role model for thousands. In
2002, the CAC Scholarship Fund awarded Nick the maximum
$2,000, but, upon announcement of how much his college
bill was, through donations from members, Nick left CAC
with over $12,000. That is what this club is about. There is no limit to the number of scholarships we
can and will award in any given year – it all depends on
the amount of money in the fund and the number of
candidates who apply and are qualified. Candidates for a
scholarship must be nominated by a member of Cauliflower
Alley Club but are not required to be members
themselves. One cannot; however, nominate themselves. If you have a friend or relative or just know someone
for whom a CAC scholarship is needed, please follow
these instructions: Download and complete the “CAC Scholarship
Application” Write a short essay or statement on why your
nominee is deserving of the scholarship and
verifying their need for the assistance Submit the application, essay and photographs
of the nominee to: Cauliflower Alley Club - Scholarship
Application Review Committee HCR 33, Box 107 Rolla, MO 65401 OR Submit by e-mail to You will receive a confirmation of receipt of
the application All further communication will be with the
nominee Upon receipt of the application, it will be reviewed
and we will attempt to determine need. A committee of
CAC Board Members (currently Dick Beyer, George Schire,
Tom Drake and Chris Drake) will determine whether a
scholarship will be awarded. As we always welcome those who want to be a part of
this great Club, all future Scholarship recipients will
be given a complimentary one-year membership to the
Cauliflower Alley Club and will be able to experience
first-hand what “The Ring of Friendship” is about! So, what are you waiting for? Apply for a scholarship
for a deserving candidate today!
(Scholarship
application coming soon)
