Timothy Knox

Timothy Knox

Grantham, NH - Timothy Knox 1940-2024

Timothy Knox died on May 25th, 2024 in Wales, where he and his wife Liz have spent summers throughout their married lives. He was 84.

Tim was born in Dover NH, the second of his parents' four children. Both parents were from NH families and athletic, his mother a golfer and his father, Sam "Dutch" Knox was an all-state football player in high school who went on to play for the Detroit Lions. Tim graduated as valedictorian from Dover High School, received his BA from Dartmouth College, majoring in English literature, and an MA from Columbia University. After teaching jobs including Carnegie Mellon (then Carnegie Tech), he settled in NYC at the Dalton School (from 1968-1976), where he became head of the English Department and faculty representative on the Board of Trustees. From there he was Assistant Head at Saddle River Country Day School in NJ for two years before being appointed Headmaster at the Fountain Valley School (FVS) in Colorado Springs in 1978.

Tim was at FVS for nine years. Academics and college admissions were his focus, as well as developing the use of the school's mountain campus. With his encouragement the school built a "solar dorm", an early environmental project. In 1989 he began his tenure as Headmaster at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden NH, where he remained happily until his retirement in 2003. In his retirement he taught Shakespeare and other literature courses with the Osher Continuing Education Program at Dartmouth.

Tim's interests were widespread. From his early years he loved all the arts, and in 1970 he directed an independent film, "Rough Magic", that was shown at New American Directors' film festivals at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum and other venues. Every school at which he worked benefitted from his enthusiastic support of their Arts programs. Another key interest, dating back perhaps to his childhood in the countryside of NH, was the environment. He established the E.E. Just Environmental Program at Kimball Union. As a school administrator he believed in a strong academic program and felt that as a head, he should remain a head-teacher and he continued as much as possible in the classroom. He loved working with young people. You could always find Tim cheering on his students at sports events. In the last twenty-four years of his career he was in boarding schools, where his involvement with and support of every student was a twenty-four hour commitment.

Tim was always happiest near the sea and in the countryside, whether the woods of New England or the pastural landscape of the United Kingdom. He grew up on the coast of New Hampshire and sailed as a child. In his later years, he owned a yacht and sailed in the estuary of the Cleddau River in Wales. Books were always a great love. If he was not reading, simply listening to the birds and watching the seasons evolve were great pleasures for him.

Tim and Liz met teaching in New York City and were married in 1973 in Plainfield NH. Since they retired, they have divided their year between their homes in south-west Wales and in Eastman, Grantham NH. Tim was predeceased by his three siblings, including his beloved sister, Judy. He leaves his wife Elizabeth, two sons, Frederick and Donal Knox, and two daughters, Leila Knox (his daughter by his first marriage) and Eleanor Knox, grandchildren Amelie, Isabel, Ada, Samantha, Teddy, Rosa and Elizabeth, and an extensive extended family.