Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Psychology William H. Knight (November 6, 1921-) was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts. He earned a B.S. degree in biology and chemistry education in 1949 and an M.S. degree in biology education in 1953 from Michigan State University. Michigan State awarded him a Ph.D. degree in counseling psychology in 1958. Knight has done postdoctoral study in mental retardation and psychology at the University of Minnesota; physical rehabilitation at New York University; neuropsychology at George Peabody College; stress disorders and treatment at Harvard Medical School; and biofeedback and physical disability at Emory University Medical School, the University of Tennessee Medical School, and the University of Alabama. During World War II, he served in the United States Army Medical Corps. Knight began his teaching career at Gaylord Community High School in Gaylord, Michigan, where he taught from 1949 to 1956. He served as a part-time instructor at Michigan State University from 1956 to 1958. In 1958, he began a two-year stint as assistant professor at the Ohio State University. He joined the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in 1960, serving for six years as chief psychologist. From 1964 to 1966, he also directed the Columbia College, South Carolina, special education department. Appalachian State University employed Knight as associate professor of psychology in 1966, a position he held for one year. From 1967 to 1969, he worked as director of the mental health clinic of Aroostook County, Maine; associate professor of psychology at Aroostook State College; and academic dean of the University of Maine at Fort Kent. He returned to Appalachian State in 1969, where he served as tenured professor of psychology and director of rehabilitation education until 1991. During this time, he had a Voice-of-America broadcast to eastern Europe, regarding life in small-town America. Knight has been responsible for the institution of a number of programs, including the counseling for juveniles, unwed mothers, and criminal offenders in Ohio, and group therapy for alcoholics in Maine. He has served as consultant to the Tuberculosis Association, the Mental Retardation Association, and the Cerebral Palsy Association in South Carolina; Alcoholics Anonymous, the State Nurses Association, and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in Maine; and the Corrections Department and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in North Carolina. Knight's professional memberships include the American Psychological Association, the National Rehabilitation Association, and the National Association of Rehabilitation Counselors (NCRCE). The NCRCE awarded him its certificate of merit in 1975 and a national citation award in 1975. Knight has authored a number of journal articles on issues in psychology, including "What About the IQ," "Counseling the Unwed Mother," and "Observations of Health Care in China." Knight has both written grant proposals and advised other writers on such proposals, acquiring approximately one-half million dollars in federal funds for programs in special education, adult and juvenile corrections, and rehabilitation and health education. While at Appalachian State, Knight served on committees regarding issues such as textbooks, wellness, curriculum, and departmental evaluation. Knights hobbies include reading and speaking German and French and traveling. He has visited England, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Wales, and Scotland. For three weeks in 1985, Knight toured Russian medical facilities with the organization People-to-People, speaking on rehabilitation in the United States and Western Europe. In June 1987, he rejoined People-to-People for a trip to China, where he lectured on stress management and biofeedback at Beijing University and at traditional medical schools and hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai. Since being named professor emeritus in 1991, Knight has taught part-time in the Appalachian State Department of Psychology and he has served as a psychological consultant with Boone area physicians and lawyers on the subjects of health, disability, and forensic psychology. Knight also enjoys photography, gardening, camping, hiking, and raising sheep and dogs. He and his wife have three children. Knight presently lives in Skowhegan, ME where he volunteers his time assisting Alzheimer's patients. Sources: Appalachian State University files. -Dr. Kay R. Dickson
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