| By
Michael Wacht
LAKELAND — When retired Bishop J. Lloyd Knox
graduated from Florida Southern College (FSC) in 1951, he had worked
his way through school as a hospital orderly, earning up to $120 per
month.
“In those days, we didn’t think about
financial aid, scholarships or student loans,” he said. “I worked
my way through…and I realized I could do a lot more than I ever
thought I could.”
Soon, United Methodist students attending the
college will benefit from the new Bishop James Lloyd and Edith Knox
scholarship endowment. It’s being established by FSC, the United
Methodist Higher Education Foundation and Florida United Methodist
Foundation.
The Knoxes will be honored during a
$100-per-plate scholarship endowment dinner on the school’s Lakeland
campus March 8, 6-9 p.m.
“Bishop and Mrs. Knox were selected as the
honorees for the 2002 event because of recent service to the Florida
Annual Conference, active participation on the Board of Trustees of
Florida Southern College and a lifetime of distinguished service to
the United Methodist Church,” said Kitty Carpenter, FSC’s director
of Church Relations.
Knox said he and his wife are honored to have
the scholarship named for them. “Hopefully, it will be something
that will provide leadership for our church,” he said.
Knox said he was told nearly 500 people are
expected to attend. “I didn’t feel there would be that many people
interested,” he said. “When I first finished seminary…I said,
‘Free at last. Now I can get to work.’ I thought I’d have the
world saved in about a year…The world didn’t get saved.”
Knox said he hears from people whose lives he
has touched during his 44 years of service to the church. He recently
heard from a young woman in Tallahassee who recently married. She’s
the daughter of Cuban refugees who received blankets and help from
Knox and now credits him with helping her meet her husband. Another
man thanked Knox for praying for him and giving him hope while he was
in the hospital.
Knox is thankful for what he learned and
experienced at FSC and hopes this scholarship will give others the
same opportunity. “I didn’t build those buildings, I didn’t
train those teachers or keep the college open,” he said. “But the
college gave me a tremendous contribution by being there and having
gifted teachers.” |
