[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 147 (Monday, December 4, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         A TRIBUTE TO SAM KNOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 4, 2000

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life 
of Sam Knott. Sam was a devoted husband, father, and leader in the San 
Diego Community. It was the tragic death of his daughter Cara that made 
Sam a community leader, but it was his personal commitment to translate 
that personal anguish into public action that made him a leader.
  As an infant, Sam moved with his family from St. Croix, Virgin 
Islands to San Diego, where his father, a physician, opened a general 
practice on 30th Street. Mr. Knott graduated from San Diego High School 
and earned a bachelor's degree at San Diego State where he majored in 
history and business. With hopes of pursuing a career in hospital 
administration, he earned a master's degree in public health at the 
University of California at Berkeley. He married Joyce, in August 1959. 
The following November, he began six months of active duty at Fort Ord 
in the National Guard. Mr. Knott served internships in hospital 
administration in Ventura and Hawthorne before returning to San Diego 
in 1970 to help coordinate the design and construction of Alvarado 
Convalescent and Rehabilitation Hospital. A few months after being 
transferred to the Los Angeles area as an administrative trouble-
shooter, Mr. Knott left the medical field to work as a stockbroker for 
Paine Webber and Sentra. Later, Mr. Knott went into business on his 
own, which he pursued part time in recent years.
  Since the 1986 death of his 20-year-old daughter, Cara, at the hands 
of a California Highway Patrol officer, Mr. Knott has been a steadfast 
leader in the San Diego Community. He has championed legislation that 
took effect in 1988 directing police to establish a priority in 
responding to missing-persons reports. While concentrating in recent 
years on legislative efforts affecting law enforcement policies. I have 
worked closely with Sam on his efforts to establish a digital network 
management system to improve communication among public safety agencies 
at all levels. Also, he was a ardent supporter of the Doris Tate Crime 
Victims Bureau, which represents families of victims of violent crimes.
  Sam died on November 30, 2000, apparently of a heart attack, near a 
memorial garden in Rancho Penasquitos that has been dedicated to his 
daughter. He was 63. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; daughters, 
Cynthia Knott of El Cajon and Cheryl Knott, a professor at Harvard 
University; a son, John of Pacific Beach; as well as, sisters, Julia 
Knott Fago of San Diego and Jean Thompson of La Mesa; brothers, Dr. Jim 
Knott of North Park and Joe Knott of Del Cerro; and three grandsons.
  Let the permanent Record of the Congress of the United States show 
that Sam's life exemplified commitment and service to community, and 
that he leaves behind this legacy for his family, friends, and fellow 
Americans to emulate.

                          ____________________