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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Jan '95
Fred Walter Knight, Jr. No.15932 Class of 1946
Died 20 March 1994 in Cartersville, Georgia, aged 70 years. Interment:
Oak Hill Cemetery, Cartersville, Georgia.
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Born 14 January l924 in Macon,Georgia, Fred Walter
Knight, Jr. grew up in Cartersville, Georgia, where his father
was a banker. He graduated from Tennessee Military Academy in
Sweetwater, Tennessee. It was there that he developed and honed
his skills as a golfer. He spent a year at Marion Institute,
at that time a well known preparatory school for West Point.
Fred's experience at military schools helped him
weather the trials of cadet life with relative ease. One of his
roommates, Robert W. Allen, recalled: "Fred was a perfect
roommate. Generous and helpful by nature, this free spirit from
Georgia ensured he never took the difficulties of cadet life
too seriously. He was truly a best friend. Fred plugged along
in math and sciences, like most of us, spending countless hours
in the 'sinks.' Golf was one of Fred's passions, and he attacked
it with vigor and ability. Any clear, warm day would find him
on the Plain working on his swing. A low handicapper, he made
his mark as a member of the West Point Golf team."
Charles M. Jaco, Jr., recalled: "I particularly
remember yearling summer at Popolopen when we were young, resilient,
full of life, happy. Fred (in a beach photo) was the PR picture
of the young, handsome, focused cadet and the girls of those
carefree days thought so, too!"
Robert W. McCoy remembered: "Fred was the
quintessence of a serene, taciturn, Southern gentleman of keen,
dry wit. He could charm a snake out of a tree, never bombastic,
always the kind of a friend a person would treasure for a lifetime,
as I do. When we were thrown into the fractious, intimidating
environment of Beast Barracks and plebe year, Fred was an outstanding
inspiration to me, to survive, as he did. The lean fluid grace,
the quiet smile, the twinkle of the eyes under stress, spoke
most loudly of a man in charge of himself."
Fred graduated a second lieutenant in the Infantry,
and was assigned to Japan in 1947. A classmate and fellow Infantryman,
James E. Coleman recalled: "Fred was assigned platoon leader
duties in Japan with the 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry
Division. While there, he joined several other teams in combing
for remains of Air Corps casualties of World War II. Later assignments
took him to the Osaka area and a chance to really work on his
golf game. He will be remembered as a close friend who enjoyed
life to the fullest while completing assigned duties in an exemplary
manner." In 1950, Fred left the Army to join the family
business in his hometown of Cartersville, Georgia
Fred joined two uncles in the management of Knight
Mercantile Co., established in the late 1800s. Fred married Margaret
Stiles in Cartersville on 17 February 1951. In time, Fred became
manager of Knight and became associated with his brother John
in a large lumber enterprise. After some years, the brothers
divided the company and Fred became sole owner of the lumber
business. He also became quite active in commercial real estate
and gained quite a good reputation in that field.
Fred continued his love for golf. A friend, Warren
Sims, remembered: "In 1968, he won the North Georgia Invitational
Golf Tournament in Dalton, Georgia. The first day, to his surprise,
he had Margaret's ladies' clubs in the trunk and used them to
shoot a 68. The next day, with his own clubs, he struggled to
an 80 to barely win the tournament."
Fred Walter Knight, Jr. died 20 March1994 in Cartersville,
Georgia. He is survived by his wife, Margaret; son Frederick;
two daughters, Susan and Margaret; and a brother, John.
When asked for their remembrances of Fred, his
friends and classmates unanimously responded that he loved people
and they loved him. A life long friend, Bill Wofford, recalled:
"Everybody loved Fred and I mean everybody! I rather doubt
that anyone knew more about local history than Fred. He was well
known as a "buff" on local history and particularly
the Civil War as fought in this area (Sherman marched right through
here)."
Evelyn Boake, a good friend of Fred and Margaret
and wife of a classmate, remembered: "Fred was the type
of a person one characterizes as 'one of a kind.' Yet he was
blessed with the gift of connecting with people regardless of
age or economic status. His easy, unaffected manner, dry humor
and twinkle in his eyes were hallmarks of a dear friend we shall
always remember." A cousin, Stanley Dodd, USNA '48, recalled:
"Everyone liked him. This West Pointer was and it's hard
for an Annapolis man to say always the pride of the family!"
At Fred's funeral service his friend, Warren Sims,
delivered the eulogy, the final words of which reflect the thoughts
of all Fred's family, friends and classmates:
He's gone now and we'll miss him,
His stories and deeds
We must use his memory
To guide us
Wherever this life leads.
Fred Knight was ever so proud to be a West Point
graduate. The Class of l946 joins his family and friends in saying,
"Rest In Peace, Fred."
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife, Margaret
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