As UW’s first Dean of Women, Emma Howell Knight was a strong advocate for higher education, fostering growth and leadership among her students. Knight began serving UW’s young people on April Fool’s Day, 1911 and believed that, “Freedom is the best thing in the world; we should have freedom in doing the things we like to do, and we should do the right thing because we like to do it. Most young people have this desire and their standards are all right, but are often misunderstood. Boys when put on their honor, have a rigid code of honor.”
Wilbur and Emma Knight relocated to Wyoming in the late 19th Century, where they raised their son’s Samuel and Everett. In 1893, Wilbur Knight, hired as a professor of mining and geology, took over as the UW Geological Museum curator.
Knight Hall is affectionately named in her honor.
Courtesy of the UW American Heritage Center, Branding Iron; April 20, 1928. Image courtesy of the UW American Heritage Center.
