Mary Knott tackled life, jobs head-on

I got an email from Daniel Perez reminding me of a story he wrote about Mary Knott in 2001. Knott died June 17th. You can read her obit here.

January 01, 2001

El Paso Times
By Daniel Perez

As a child in rural Colorado, Mary Knott was a girl of summer, playing baseball and running track - until she was sidetracked by one of the last polio epidemics.

The illness forced her to wear 20 pounds of steel braces from her waist to her feet. That made her bitter at first, but eventually it gave her the can-do attitude that helped her succeed in life.

She started the speech pathology clinic at Beaumont Army Medical Center 30 years ago, aiding thousands of patients and helping train hundreds of other speech pathologists.

Some patients have even called to express regret about Knott's retirement, her successor said.

Knott, 61, who now gets around on a seated motor scooter, will retire today as clinic chief.

In her job with speech pathology - the study and treatment of disorders in speech and language - she fulfilled childhood goals to be a doctor and a teacher.

"I've gone higgly-piggly through life, and God has taken care of me," she said in her West Side home. "It's been a great life."

Knott will be replaced by Donna Lewis, her co-worker and friend for 13 years. Lewis is also one of Knott's many students. She did her internship with Knott in 1981.

Knott's friends plan to celebrate her achievements - both work and civic - at a Jan. 12 party at the Biggs Army Airfield Centennial Club that Lewis is organizing.

Knott's friend Jule Zimet hopes to get a larger slice of her time, so she can plan more events for the Paso del Norte National Issues Forum, which promotes discussion of such issues as alcoholism and teen violence.

Zimet, chair of the group's El Paso chapter, said Knott's wide circle of friends and acquaintances and her ability to get things done make her a great resource.

"She keeps her word, and that's a rare trait in the volunteer world," Zimet said.

"She's extremely competent and one of the most caring individuals I know," Army Col. Rich Dennis said from Washington. "(Knott) is held in high esteem."

Dennis is audiology consultant to Lt. Gen. James Peake, surgeon general of the Army. Dennis served as chief of audiology and speech language pathology at Beaumont for six years until 1993.

He said Knott added prestige to the program and attracted top student interns.

Master's-degree students came from the University of Texas at El Paso, University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University, as well as from Wayne State University in Detroit and Western Illinois University.

UTEP's faculty noted that its students returned to school with a greater spirit of camaraderie, loyalty and professionalism. They credit Knott's leadership for that.

"It was a stronger influence on their careers," said Joseph Perozzi, a professor of speech language pathology at UTEP who retired in 1997 as assistant dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Perozzi marveled at Knott's longevity in one place in a field with high turnover. He said her stability made the faculty confident about sending students to Beaumont.

Students' praise

Knott's former students remember a woman who was organized, helpful and caring with patients, and who enjoyed her life and work.

By overcoming her disabilities, Knott showed her students that anything can be achieved, said Pat Lara, director of speech pathology with Rio Vista Rehabilitation Program. She was an intern directed by Knott in 1983.

Lara said she draws from Knott's teachings daily in dealing with difficult situations.

"I learned to be independent by watching her," Lara said. "She doesn't see herself with a handicap."

Knott said she decided on her speech pathology career when she was 17. At a hospital where she had gone for physical therapy, she met a young hard-of-hearing patient who had cerebral palsy.

"I loved the interaction with people," she said. "I loved giving back and helping people. I loved seeing (patients') faces as speech developed."

She obtained a job with the Gallup, N.M., school district, staying there six years before going to NMSU on a state fellowship for her master's degree. Knott was hired at Beaumont after she graduated.

Knott's background gave her more empathy with patients, she said. She remembered the initial anger and embarrassment of having polio.

Don't `baby' people

She also recalled the support of her family and townspeople of Minturn, Colo., a town of about 1,000.

"They treated me as if I was still OK," Knott said of her family. "You can't baby someone with a handicap, or they'll become a handicapped adult."

She said she got the job in Gallup because the superintendent looked beyond her disability and the insurance risk. She called that the first of her "great" chances.

Two district principals influenced her decision to attend graduate school. They helped her secure a state fellowship.

Knott had agreed to visit NMSU only if a trip to Juàrez was included. But she said the charisma of Edgar Garrett, the chairman of the university's speech and hearing department, encouraged her to register.

Part of her experience was to intern at Beaumont under Col. James Albright.

Albright was an ear, nose and throat doctor who had set up speech pathology departments at other Army hospitals. He said they were needed to treat injured soldiers returning from the Vietnam War.

The clinic started by seeing soldiers, but it quickly included spouses, other family members and veterans. Knott soon started to get interns to help with the patient load.

"I expected them to be professionals," Knott said. "I expected the best out of them."

During Knott's years at Beaumont, she served at the request of three Texas governors on the Developmental Disabilities Council and helped write state programs for these issues.

Multiple honors

Among the honors she's collected is the recognition as one of NMSU's top 100 graduates, a list the university compiled as part of its 100th anniversary.

She also was named one of the top 10 businesswomen in the country by the American Business Women Association in 1974, and she has earned Army medals for achievement and meritorious civilian service.

Knott is considered a matriarch among some members of El Paso's businesswomen, said Dr. Lily Alvarez, an East Side optometrist who has known her for 14 years.

Alvarez, who also is a member of the ABWA's Amigas Del Sol chapter, said Knott has a national reputation because of the 1974 award.

"Initially, you see the wheelchair, but in no time you forget she's handicapped because of the way she handles herself," said Alvarez, who earned the ABWA's top honor herself in 1995. "She doesn't dwell on inabilities. She gets things done."

Knott is leaving her future open. She says she won't wake up at 5 a.m. anymore, but she's not ruling out anything else, from part-time work to returning to her love of oil painting and traveling.

"I'm not afraid of retirement. It's just another phase of life," Knott said. "Higgly-piggly."