The Rotary Club of Key West

Service Above Self Since 1916

 
The The Rotary Club of Key West and Rotary International lost a great humanitarian on Sunday, August 28, 2016 when Edward Bassett Knight, 99, of Key West, Florida passed away peacefully  at his home on Thompson Island, Key West, Florida.  He was born January 11, 1917 in Jacksonville, Florida.  He served in the United States Navy during WW II as a pilot.
Knight fell in love with Key West and returned after the war and met his wife of 57 years, Joan Thompson Knight.  He was a businessman, philanthropist, developer, Realtor and visionary, which was evident throughout Key West and the Florida Keys.  He served on many committees to improve the community he so dearly loved.  In the 1950’s, he played a role in preserving the area’s shrimp fleet and served on the Southeast Fisheries Council.  He helped finance the rebuilding of the Boy Scout Camp in the Florida Keys. 
Among his many community leadership positions was that of President of The Rotary Club of Key West 1964-65.  As a 59 year member of Rotary his steadfast adherence to the Rotary 4-Way Test was evident.  Not only was the 4-Way Test evident on all the desks in his office, but he would carry the 4-Way Test cards with him and freely pass them on to non-Rotarians, and those he was doing business with as a means of conveying his basic tenet of doing business.
Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti has been a long standing International project that the Rotary Club of Key West has annually contributed financially.  Mr. Knight not only contributed financially, but he presented the Mellon Foundation, founder of Hospital Albert Schweitzer, his valuable Haitian Art Collection as a means of raising additional funds for the Hospital. 
Knight instituted a $4000 annual Rotary Scholarship Program with Florida Keys Community College -- the Edward B. Knight Rotary Club of Key West FKCC Vocational Scholarship to encourage the community’s youth to seek certification’s in their chosen field as a means of improving their lives.
As a Major Donor of the Paul Harris Foundation, Mr. Knight constantly encouraged his fellow Rotarians to not only contribute financially, but to volunteer for the local, National and International humanitarian efforts of Rotary.
At the Rotary Club of Key West Centennial Celebration held on April 1, 2016, Mr. Knight was honored by his fellow club members as their first Jefferson B. Browne Hall of Fame Recipient.  Browne, after whom the award is named, was the first Key West Rotary president.  Browne later became Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. 
Rest well devoted community servant, rest well.
 
 
 
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