Richard Knight Jr.'s Obituary
Richard Knight, Jr. transitioned from this world on Monday, November 22, 2021. He was born May 31,1945 in Fort Valley, GA to the late Freddie Miller Knight and Richard Knight, Sr.
Knight attended high school in Fort Valley and graduated with honors. In high school he was an outstanding athlete and musician. He graduated from Fort Valley State College where he majored in political science and economics. Knight also received a Master’s of Science in Public Administration from the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in addition to studying at Atlanta University and Yale University.
It was at Atlanta University where Knight was drafted into the United States Army. After a stint in Killen, TX, he was deployed to Vietnam. He achieved success as a Communications Specialist and received the following commendations: Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and three Bronze Stars.
After receiving an honorable discharge, Knight moved his wife and oldest son, Richard Lemone Knight to Durham, North Carolina. It was in Durham that he first began his work in public service. He was employed with the North Carolina State Department of Corrections as Program Development Officer. In addition to his primary station in Durham, he also had responsibility at several other facilities across the state. He was responsible for helping inmates develop skills that could be used upon release from incarceration. This included basic education, skilled training and coordinating appropriate work release arrangements. Through his efforts, Knight was successful in drastically reducing recidivism rates.
At a speaking engagement about prison reform through programing, Knight met the wife of a City of Durham administrator, who later informed her spouse about this dynamic gentleman she had met and who would do well in a position with the city of Durham. Needless to say, Knight was contacted for an interview and subsequently was offered and accepted the position of Investment Manager.
Richard was eventually contacted by a member of the Carrboro, NC Board of Alderman and offered the position of Town Manager. Ironically, the call came at midnight. After discussion with his wife Mavis and the Board Member, Knight stated, “he would take the job only if all the Alderman voted for him.” This was significant because previously Carrboro had four Town Managers, and none were voted upon by the entire Board of Alderman. They all agreed, and the rest is history. Knight distinguished himself and had a positive impact on the town, especially the economic growth. He was able to increase the budget without raising taxes and he was able to secure a significant increase in the town’s bond rating. This was important because it allowed the town to borrow money at the lowest interest rates. Knight was the first and only African American Town Manager that Carrboro ever had.
Knight would then be recruited and hired by the City of Gainesville, FL and after serving in this position for less than two years, was recruited to Dallas, TX. He accepted the position of Assistant City Manager under Charles Anderson and was planning to move with Anderson to Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) when fate once again stepped in. The Dallas City Council after interviewing potential candidates for the vacancy decided that Knight was the person to take on this role. The actions of the City Council were historic, in that Richard became the first African American City Manager for the City of Dallas. Knight had significant accomplishments and completed projects that had long term cultural, economic, and civic impact for the city of Dallas. As a result of his leadership, Dallas received two national awards, the National Award of Excellence and the Outstanding Achievement Award conferred by the U. S. Conference of Mayors. It was during Knight’s tenure that an issue of Business Month, listed Dallas as one of the ten best managed cities in the nation.
After a successful career in the public sector, Knight was recruited by Corporate America. He was named Senior Manager with Caltex Petroleum Corporation. Eventually, his work with Caltex led him to Singapore where he was named Head of International Sales for Manufacturing and Marketing. In this position, he traveled and developed facilities throughout Southeast Asia, to include Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In the latter, he implemented the convenience store/service station concept and helped to rebuild an economy that had been diminished during the Vietnam War.
Upon retirement from Caltex, Knight founded KnightCo Oil in 1999, which specialized in the distribution of finished lubricants, eventually selling that business venture in 2004. Knight Co-Founded Pegasus Texas, a construction management firm, which participated in projects at DFW Airport, with DART, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and most notably with Dallas Independent School District (DISD) on various Bond programs. In 2003, Richard founded Knight Waste Service (KWS) in Fort Worth, TX. KWS is a M/WBE contractor for the City of Ft. Worth Solid Waste Department and provides residential garbage and recycling collection to over 100,000 homes.
Knight was active in every aspect of the community to include serving on numerous boards and organizations, such as: Boy Scouts of America, State Fair of Texas (Chair), Children’s Hospital, Goodwill Industries, Frazier Revitalization (Chair), Dallas Citizens Council, The Center Operating Group (American Airlines Center), North Texas Public Broadcasting, The Salesmanship Club of Dallas, DFW Minority Business Development Council, Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas Board of Regents, Texas Southern Board of Regents and the International City Managers Association/ICMA (Vice President). Knight was a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (Boul`e).
Knight was the recipient of many accolades and awards, i.e., Distinguished Alumni from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the town of Fort Valley, African American Museum of Dallas, Profiles in Leadership Award, Distinguished Alumni of Fort Valley State University, and the Harold Mann Bond Award.
Richard was preceded in death by his parents Freddie Miller Knight and Richard Knight, Sr., his sister Gloria Knight Daniely, his brother-in-law, James Daniely, his adored grandson, Avery Richard Knight, his uncles: William, Earl, and Albert Miller, Aunt Beauford Broady, and Cousin: Kenneth Miller.
Knight will be cherished and remembered by his wife Mavis Best Knight, his sons, Richard L. Knight, Marcus E. Knight (Tengemana), and Nolan C. Knight. Grandchildren, Bryttnee Knight Woods (Garron), Richard Rashaud Knight (Brittney), Phyllicia Knight, Destiny Knight, Sanaa Knight, Mia Knight, Christian Knight, and Abram Knight. Great grandchildren who will remember him are Morgan Shield Woods, Paris Woods, Zariah Wilson, Torhin and Ezekiel Knight; niece, Dana Daniley and a host of cousins.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Ft. Valley St. University: www.fvsu.edu/give in honor of Richard Knight, Jr
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