Waldemar J. Klasing Private Foundation

Waldemar John Klasing was born Dec. 26, 1911, of working-class German immigrants who settled in St. Louis in the early 1900s. Waldemar grew up in S1. Louis and graduated from the old Central High School. His father left home when Waldemar was two and his mother cared for Waldemar, his two brothers and two sisters. She worked in a factory to support the family.

After getting his degree in engineering at Washington University in 1938, Waldemar got a master’s degree at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He enlisted in the Army in 1941. He was an engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers and retired as a major in 1957. What he did after the Army isn’t known.

Waldemar gave up driving when he was about 85 but never gave up a Buick he and his family won in 1939. They won it and 1,000 gallons of gas in an advertising jingle contest sponsored by Ivory Soap. Waldemar wrote the jingle and gave it to his older sister, Amanda. She entered the contest although she didn’t drive. Waldemar drove the car for years. He turned down several offers to sell it, and it remained in his garage up to his passing May 26, 2012.

Waldemar was a plain-spoken man who freely shared his wisdom about life. ’’’Always ask why’ – those were the words he lived by. He talked about the importance of questioning people and things, and looking for a better way to do something."