William E. Knox
Dr. William E. Knox, a professor and former Chair of the sociology department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, died suddenly in his Greensboro home on December 2, 2013.
Memorial service for Bill Knox
Sat. Dec 14, 11am-1pm
Alumni House at UNC-G
404 College Avenue
Greensboro, NC
The family gratefully requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina
Dr. Knox’s gregarious teaching style and professional accomplishments underscored a career at UNCG that began in 1963 and spanned four decades. Brian Fogarty, a former graduate student and professor at St. Catherine’s College said, “He fueled my interest in social psychology; but more importantly, he gave me permission, in an age of specialization, to think about connections between sociology and other areas of thought.”From the 1970s onward, Knox spearheaded computer use in teaching-and writing-intensive instruction.
In 1955, Knox earned a BA degree magna cum laude at Colgate University. He served in the Air Force during the height of the Cold War as a photo-radar intelligence officer from 1960-1963. His duties included making air target charts for bombing practice and evaluating U-2 flight paths.
Knox attained his doctorate degree in 1965 at Cornell University. His professional accomplishments included publication of a critically acclaimed book in 1994 with colleague Dr. Paul Lindsay, Does College Make a Difference, a longitudinal study that followed 20,000 high school graduates from the class of 1972 through the early 1980s.
Beyond his teaching and scholarship, Knox was a committed civic activist. He received the Norman B. Smith and McNeill Smith Awards from the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina for his outstanding contributions to the organization. Knox was also a committed conservationist, receiving recognition for his work from the NC Audubon Society and the Wilderness Society. Also an accomplished photographer, his photos have been exhibited in juried and museum shows.
“Greensboro lost one of its civic heroes,” said Carolyn Allen, Greensboro’s former Mayor and a decades-long friend. “He was a passionate defender of individual liberty and God’s green earth. He made a difference that will make Greensboro and our world a better place for generations to come.”
Knox was also known for his generosity and his personal and professional mentoring of young people.
“Bill Knox quietly put so many people through college and supported me and others when we were getting businesses off the ground,” said Hadi Dabar, who met Dr. Knox when he was a student at Guilford College in the 1980s. “He has done so much for the people of this community because he was always excited by the prospect of people reaching their potential.”
Knox was predeceased by a daughter, Carol S. Knox, of Albany, New York. He is survived his wife of 59 years, Diana T. Knox; a son, David Knox, of Hastings, New York; a daughter, Virginia Knox, of New York City; a son-in-law, Lee Wasserman, from New York City, and seven grandchildren.