2021 Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame inductee: Wayne Steinkamp, friend of sport

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2020 and 2021 classes are being inducted into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame together this year. Steinkamp will be inducted on Saturday, Nov. 27 before QND’s boys basketball game.)

Wayne Steinkamp’s story is similar to many people who volunteer at Quincy Notre Dame. He offers to help with whatever needs done, and now more than 30 years later, he’s still giving his time.

“When my kids were at St. Dominic, I did the Holy Name stuff, the PTO, Junefest … just all kinds of volunteer work,” he said. “So when Adam went to Notre Dame, he started wrestling. We used to have a parent group that tried to raise the money and take care of whatever needs the wrestling program had, and I became the head of that. From there, I drifted over the ticket takers when they needed somebody for wrestling.”

Once Steinkamp was hooked, he never regretted volunteering.

“You get in the habit of doing it, and you know how that works. If you’re a volunteer, they don’t let you go easy,” he said. “Actually, I find it an enjoyable experience. You meet people, you make friends. It can be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of camaraderie. Besides helping my kids in the school, I do it for myself. if you want to do something, you make the time for it. When there’s a will, there’s a way. 

“One of my favorite comments has been, ‘If you want somebody to do something, go find somebody who is busy.’”

Steinkamp has helped take tickets at multiple sporting events at the school. “I do whatever Tom Alford needs me to do,” he said with a laugh.

He’s not ready to give it up, either.

“When you get to be my age, you start having various problems with health and stuff,” he said. “So it’s easy to say, ‘I can’t do it.’ The thought of quitting does cross your mind, but I still do enjoy it. I’m on the booster committee besides taking tickets. I’m retired, so I have the time. I can do it, so I do it.”

Steinkamp’s favorite memory? Just being with the other volunteers.

“You work with people, and you make friends,” he said. “I volunteer with good people. It’s not one particular person. It’s the whole group. They all want to help, and that’s an awfully good memory.”

Steinkamp, 73, is retired. He worked as a revenue auditor for the state. He has four children — Adam, Jason, Matthew and Neely.