Farewell to Tony Knight


It’s bittersweet, the retirement of OPUSD’s Tony Knight, in that our schools will miss him terribly, but also knowing his talents will continue to serve toward a better tomorrow.

My family first met Dr. Knight shortly after moving to the district in 2015. Our oldest, a reserved, reticent sixth-grader, had hopes of creating a club at Medea Creek Middle School to focus on the protection of animals and the environment. He had been inspired by a similar club at Oak Park High School, of which Dr. Knight served as the group’s sponsor.

Weeks later, when it was time for students to choose clubs, our son was full of nerves; after all, while he had received permission to create the club, he was fully aware that it wasn’t as exciting as other options and would have a hard time competing for the attention of his peers. We prepared him with equal parts hope and reality.

He arrived at school early for setup, but someone had already taken care of it. It was the club’s new sponsor, Dr. Knight, waiting in a folding chair, ready to lend his support to the day and, perhaps even more so, to our son.

Our oldest is now a senior at OPHS. His younger brother is a freshman. We speak of that moment often, not only for the confidence it instilled in our son(s), but because it was one of the warmest welcomes we have ever known, anywhere.

Long before I became a parent of school-age children (and professional chronicler of the adventures therein), I spent decades working in education and child care.

I have had the extreme fortune to meet hundreds of wonderful educators (many of them in OPUSD), and I believe Dr. Knight to be among the finest I have ever known.

In the next few months, much will surely be written about his singular vision, passion and commitment, rightfully so, but it goes beyond that; he’s a fantastic human being. I don’t know that there is any better measure of a person than the depths of their kindness and, in that, Dr. Knight may prove impossible to replace.

Whit Honea
Oak Park