Alumna’s Family Increases Endowed Giving to Winthrop
Staff Report From York County CEO
Tuesday, August 7th, 2018
The family of the late Jo Ann Knox ’48 has earmarked additional funding for the J.A. Knox Scholarship at Winthrop University.
The scholarship was established in 2000 by the late Jo Ann Knox ‘48 in memory of her father, John Alexander Knox. The fund has provided renewable scholarships to students at Winthrop and will continue to help the university recruit and retain high-achieving undergraduate students.
Knox is among the charter class of Winthrop’s D.B. Johnson Society, the university’s planning giving society. She was honored at a special event for donors this past spring along with other current and eternal society members. She is listed on the D.B. Johnson Society recognition wall, located in the DiGorgio Campus Center.
Knox’s sister, Sandra Stricker, attended the donor event and expressed how appreciative she was to be able to engage with some of the students that have already received allocations of the Knox scholarship.
“It was amazing to meet the students … you just think, look at how many lives she has made a difference in … that’s what Jo Ann would have wanted,” Stricker said.
A native of Seneca, Knox was a teacher for 28 years at Keowee Elementary School. She was a multimedia artist and one of the charter members of the Blue Ridge Art Association (now the Blue Ridge Arts Center) in 1966. At the time, Knox and other artists were interested in preserving the heritage of Oconee County and the surrounding area.
Her father served as an Oconee County representative in the S.C. State Legislature and as a Seneca city councilman. He was the retired owner of Shell Oil Distributing Co. of Seneca, a veteran of World War I and a member of the American Legion.
The J.A. Knox scholarship supports students’ having a well-rounded Winthrop experience, including allowing students to participate in extracurricular activities, leadership training and community service.
Stricker said hearing that students go on to graduate and land jobs is a rewarding feeling and reinforces the importance of scholarships and support to students in need.