HOUSE MEMORIAL 25

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

INTRODUCED BY

Rick Miera

A MEMORIAL

HONORING FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE RICHARD T. KNOWLES, LIEUTENANT GENERAL, UNITED STATES ARMY (RETIRED), FOR HIS INTEGRITY, CONTRIBUTIONS AND SERVICE TO THE NATION, HIS ADOPTED STATE OF NEW MEXICO AND THE NEW MEXICO MILITARY INSTITUTE.

     WHEREAS, born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1916, Lieutenant General Richard T. Knowles' lifetime spanned nearly a century and his military career more than three decades, with public service woven into the fabric of his entire life; and

     WHEREAS, Richard T. Knowles left the university of Illinois in 1942 to join the army as a second lieutenant in the artillery; and

     WHEREAS, during World War II, a young Captain Knowles took part in the Normandy invasion and served with General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Europe and later at the pentagon during the Eisenhower administration; and

     WHEREAS, Representative Knowles also took part in the Inchon landing during the Korean conflict and was awarded the silver star for leading a counterattack that routed seventy-five North Koreans from inside his battalion perimeter; and

     WHEREAS, in the service of his country, General Knowles earned awards that include the distinguished service medal with four oak leaf clusters, the silver star medal, the bronze star medal, the distinguished flying cross, the purple heart for a wound received in Vietnam and twenty-five air medals; and

     WHEREAS, General Knowles, in his typically modest fashion, said of his distinguished military service and numerous acts of valor, "I was just doing what I was trained to do"; and

     WHEREAS, General Knowles retired in 1974 as deputy commander of the eighth army, having held various high-level commands throughout his career, including commander of the 196th light infantry brigade and commanding general of task force Oregon, Americal division; and

     WHEREAS, after retirement, General Knowles and his family moved to Roswell, where he opened an antique store and ran for the state legislature; and

     WHEREAS, Representative Knowles served in the New Mexico house of representatives, representing district 57, for eight straight terms until he retired in 1998 because, as he said, "It's time for a rotation."; and

     WHEREAS, during his long service in the house, Representative Knowles served as minority floor leader and as a member of the house appropriations and finance, education, energy and natural resources, government and Indian affairs, judiciary, rules and order of business and transportation and public works standing committees; and

     WHEREAS, he also served on a number of interim committees, and he contributed to the development of many pieces of landmark legislation that continue to have a positive impact on New Mexico today; and

     WHEREAS, comparing his service in the army with his service in the legislature, Representative Knowles once said, "...the army is a lot easier [than the legislature] because on the battlefield, you can only get killed once. You can get killed in committee in Santa Fe two or three times a day."; and

     WHEREAS, "The General", as he was called by his colleagues in the legislature, was known for his open mind, integrity, quick wit, hard work and outgoing personality and for reaching across party lines to work toward passage of meaningful legislation through what he called "the art of compromise"; and

     WHEREAS, General Knowles often said, "We represent different constituents with different needs. Democracy is founded on diversity. That's the power of our country and the power of our state."; and

     WHEREAS, as state representative, "The General", besides championing the people's issues, also was a strong advocate for the New Mexico military institute in Roswell, which made him an honorary alumnus and inducted him into its hall of fame; and

     WHEREAS, in recognition of his efforts to establish a legislative scholarship program for New Mexico young people from across the state to attend the New Mexico military institute, the legislature, on his retirement, renamed the award the "General Richard T. Knowles Legislative Scholarship"; and

     WHEREAS, the legislature now supports as many as one hundred twelve scholarships, one for each legislative district, for qualifying students; and

     WHEREAS, in 1994, in recognition of his extraordinary life, General Knowles was awarded the congressional medal of honor society's most coveted award, the "Distinguished Citizen's Award"; and

     WHEREAS, General Knowles was preceded in death by his wife of four decades, Elizabeth Kay Knowles; and

     WHEREAS, he is survived by his daughters, Diane Buchwald, Katherine Buck and Rebecca Crosby; his son, former Second Judicial District Judge Richard J. Knowles; his stepsons, Stanley Warfield Crosby III and Steven Wood Chaney; and his daughters-in-law, Sandra Clinton and Laurie Chaney; and

     WHEREAS, he is also survived by nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that former Representative Richard T. Knowles, United States army, lieutenant general (retired), be honored for his integrity and his contributions and service to his country and his adopted state of New Mexico and to the New Mexico military institute in Roswell; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to members of the Knowles family and to the New Mexico military institute.

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