Steve Archer

SCCA Steward Ken Paton (left) and Steve Archer confer at an Oregon Region racing event. Archer had been in F&C before becoming a steward.

Longtime Oregon Region steward Steve Archer passed away in May. I knew Steve for 25 years. I was not yet 30 when I started training to be a steward, and Steve was a mentor to me as I raced and learned the challenges of managing an SCCA race weekend.


The thing that always struck me about Steve, and what made him such a great person to work with, was his calm demeanor and
positive attitude.


I never saw Steve lose his temper, and I’m not sure I ever heard him raise his voice. Far more often, he’d be smiling and bringing people together. He always had a big hug for me when I’d see him at the track - and I always knew Steve had my back.


One occasion I will always remember happened when I had a small tangle with a close friend on track. We both arrived in post-race impound with dented cars. Steve was on duty and I could see him walking our way. I took off my helmet and said “This was my fault.” Then my friend said it had been his fault. Steve broke into a big grin and just laughed. If there wasn’t a problem, he wasn’t going to create one.


In my case, Steve showed me how to keep cool when things got rough, and to remember that we’re all friends at the track - or at least we should be.


It’s said - often in memorials like this, that people come to SCCA for racing, but they stay for the people. That’s certainly true with Steve Archer - if you knew him, he was a reason to keep coming back to Oregon Region events. I am lucky to be able to say Steve Archer was my friend.

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