Celebrations, Local, Simpsonville

Dr. Kenneth E. Knox celebrates retirement

Dr. Kenneth E. Knox was recently honored at a Surprise Retirement Party held at Events at Sapphire Creek in Simpsonville.  And, yes, he was truly surprised!

The venue was beautifully decorated and the food was delicious, but it was the family members and friends in attendance who made the party so special.  Along with displays of memorabilia and photographs, the fun included a good-natured “roast” by several of the guests.  Dr. Knox began his practice in September of 1977 and as the imprinted napkins stated, he has been “Caring for You and Your Vision for 40 Years.”

Originally from Florida, Dr. Knox attended Florida State University, where he met his wife Sharon on a blind date.  Upon graduation, he immediately entered the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant, and served in Viet Nam as the administrator with the 27th Surgical Hospital in Chu Lai, from 1969 through 1970.  When he returned home, he and Sharon were married.  After completing his active military duty, he continued his education at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, where, after four years of study, he obtained his Doctor of Optometry degree.

Having been stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina early in their marriage, both Dr. Knox and Sharon knew they wanted to make their permanent home in the Carolinas.  Their dream became a reality in the fall of 1977, when Dr. James C. DuBose offered Dr. Knox a position in the area and he became Simpsonville’s first full-time optometrist.  Dr. DuBose strongly encouraged Dr. Knox to remain in the Army Reserves, allowing him time to off to fulfill his Army Reserve commitments.
Helen Jones Moser was Dr. Knox’s only employee during these early years.  She fulfilled the duties of receptionist, insurance clerk, and optical technician, and did everything from answering the phone to interior decorating, vacuuming and dusting.  She worked with Dr. Knox for over 20 years and remains in close contact with him.

As the Golden Strip area grew, the practice flourished, and in 1987 Dr. Knox built a new and larger office.  Still in the Army Reserves, he was called to active duty in Operation Desert Storm in 1990, and was stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, for nine months.  Dr. Knox retired from the Army Reserves after twenty-six years of service, having attained the rank of full colonel.

Dr. Knox has always been actively involved in the community, serving as the president of the Simpsonville Jaycees, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary, as well as being a board member of the Simpsonville YMCA.  He has strongly encouraged other veterans to go on the Honor Flight to Washington, DC, and has twice served as an escort.  In addition, he has faithfully served his church, Simpsonville United Methodist, in numerous capacities and has gone on annual Christian mission trips to Honduras for the past 25 years.

Dr. Knox will be greatly missed by his patients, who knew him as a caring and compassionate doctor, one who was always willing to talk to them by phone or to meet with them after hours, on weekends, or whenever they had concerns about their vision.

Now that he is retired, Dr. Knox will continue to live out his faith by pursuing his passions of volunteer work in the community and his church, annual mission trips to Honduras, traveling, and spending more time with his grandchildren.  Friends, who often refer to him as “The Energizer Bunny,” know full well that although Dr. Knox has retired, he’ll still keep “going and going.”♦

 

 

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