| 1 | Name: | Dr. Bernard M. W. Knox | |
| Institution: | Center for Hellenic Studies | ||
| Year Elected: | 1985 | ||
| Class: | 4. Humanities | ||
| Subdivision: | 402. Criticism: Arts and Letters | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Deceased | ||
| Birth Date: | 1914 | ||
| Death Date: | July 22, 2010 | ||
Bernard M. W. Knox was born and raised in England. His early focus on languages won him a scholarship to study at St. John's College in Cambridge. He received his degree in 1936, then left for Spain to fight with the International Brigade against Franco. Seriously wounded, he returned to England, then moved to the United States to marry his American wife in 1939. Two years later, he joined the army and was commissioned as a defense officer on an American air base in England. His ability with languages and desire to be involved led to his deployment to France, where he parachuted in and took an active part in the operations of the Maquis in support of the invading forces. He was later transferred to the Italian front. He received the Croix de Guerre à l'ordre de l'armée (avec palmes) and the Bronze Star with cluster. In 1945 he returned to the United States and took up graduate studies at Yale University. He received his Ph.D. in 1948 and stayed at Yale as a professor of Greek until 1961 when he became the first director of the newly opened Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C., a post he held for 24 years before retiring and being named Director Emeritus. He was the author of Oedipus at Thebes (1957), Oedipus the King (1959), The Heroic Temper (1964), Word and Action (1979), and Essays Ancient and Modern (1989). In 2004 he was awarded the American Philosophical Society’s Thomas Jefferson Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences. The prize certificate citation reads, "In recognition of the role this brilliant classicist has played on an international stage by presenting, in his writings, his teaching and the power of his example, the civilizations of Greece and Rome; as a man of words and a man of action too - he has offered a lucid reminder of where we come from and an inspiring vision of what we may become." Dr. Knox had been a member of the American Philosophical Society since 1985. He died July 22, 2010, at the age of 95. | |||