Monday, September 30, 2013

Suggested place to stay for person's visiting ceremonies from out of town:

It has been suggested that a good place to stay is the Princeton Marriot Court Yard.

Courtyard Princeton
3815 Us Route 1 At Mapleton Rd, Princeton, NJ
(609) 716-9100

It's near Lake Carnegie in Princeton that's 20 min from Hopewell and an easy drive avoiding downtown Princeton traffic.

Details about Celebration of David's Life, Friday, Oct 4th in Hopewell

It is my understanding that there will be a Celebration of David's Life gathering on Friday, Oct 4th at 1:30pm till whenever, at the  Hopewell Train Station, this is close to David's home.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Remembering David Knights

Central New Jersey

HOPEWELL BOROUGH: Town loses a longtime public servant
David H. Knights, 60, a man who has left an indelible imprint on the town and region he loved, died Tuesday morning
By Ruth Luse, Managing Editor
Posted: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 4:57 PM EDT
David H. Knights
   Hopewell Borough Council President David H. Knights, 60, a man who has left an indelible imprint on the town and region he loved, died Tuesday morning.

   Upon hearing of Mr. Knights’ death, Hopewell Borough Mayor Paul Anzano said: “It is with great sorrow and much sadness that we learned of the passing of longtime Hopewell Borough Council President David Knights. Our most heartfelt condolences are extended to his wife Linda and children Charlie, Owen and Caroline at this very difficult time.

   ”David was an integral part of the Hopewell community and he will be sorely missed. His contributions to the borough are innumerable, immeasurable and lasting. At an appropriate time, we will pay tribute to David’s service to our town; right now, we are struggling to comprehend this sad and sudden news.”

   Mr. Knights and his wife, Linda, moved into their West Broad Street residence in 1988.

   Six years later, he began his journey in public service as a member of Hopewell’s Transportation Task Force that produced a final report for the borough’s Planning Board. He served many years on the Planning Board, including a time as vice chairman.

   Mr. Knights was appointed to fill a vacancy on Borough Council in 1997 and had remained on council since that time. He was council’s longtime president.
   Mr. Knights was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

   Drawing on previous experience in the South End of Boston (Massachusetts) as a developer of renovated brownstone buildings, Mr. Knights oversaw the renovation of the Hopewell Railroad Station, which was purchased by Hopewell Borough in 1983. This is now a multi-use community facility.

   In 1999, he was instrumental in preserving land that ultimately became Hopewell Park.
   He also was a major player in the preservation of the 340-acre St. Michael’s property, just on the edge of town. He and others felt the tract — if developed (and not preserved) — could have threatened the quality of life for Hopewell Borough residents forever.

   Linda Mead, president, D&R Greenway Land Trust, said Wednesday: “David’s passion for preserving the best of Hopewell was bigger than life! His enthusiastic determination made a difference in saving St. Michael’s. The day we erected the Charles Evans Overlook, David told me he and his wife discovered it on their sunset walk to the preserve. From there, he could enjoy a sweeping view of ‘his’ community and it became his favorite place. David’s dedication to the people and places of Hopewell set an example and left a legacy that will benefit all of us and generations to come.”

   The D&R Greenway Land Trust, of Princeton, was the organization that acquired — with the help of many other individuals and groups — the funds necessary to preserve the St. Michael’s property.

   As a member of Hopewell Council’s Building Subcommittee, he worked to transition and transform the former 1950s-era Masonic Temple, at 88 E. Broad St., into the Hopewell-appropriate and ADA-compliant “new” Borough Hall/Courthouse that opened in April 2012.

   He was “passionate about preserving and protecting the best of Hopewell Borough and proved that commitment in initiatives too numerous to list,” said Hopewell Borough Administrator/Clerk Michele Hovan.

   Until his death, he was the president of Preservation New Jersey (PNJ), a post he had held since 2011.
   Scot D. Pannepacker, PNJ treasurer, said Tuesday: “The board and staff of Preservation New Jersey is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of board chairman, David Knights. David has been a strong presence on our board of trustees. He was the enthusiastic cheerleader for new projects, such as the 1867 Sanctuary at Ewing, and worked tirelessly with the committee to build awareness and public support.

   ”He was the trustee who saw hope and optimism each year at the annual budget review; better yet David was always the trustee who came back to the next meeting with funding commitments and new relationships to match his optimism. He was the person who stepped up and volunteered when leadership was needed; whether to join the gala committee, speak at a networking event, stop at the office to offer assistance to our staff, or volunteer as board chair.

   ”But most of all, we will miss David’s friendly smile, his positive outlook and his untiring energy toward making our community someplace special.”
   Mr. Knights had a degree in American history from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard University.

   He was the vice president of Picus Associates, a real estate development consulting firm, where he worked for over 27 years.

   From 2004 to June 2013, Mr. Knights had served as an appointed commissioner to the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission and was its longest-serving member.
 

Long-serving Hopewell Borough council president dies:

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/09/long-serving_hopewell_borough_council_president_dies.html

Jon Offredo/The Times of Trenton By Jon Offredo/The Times of Trenton
Follow on Twitter
on September 25, 2013 at 7:13 PM, updated September 25, 2013 at 7:26 PM

Knights2.JPGLong-time Hopewell Borough council president David Knights passed away suddenly Tuesday morning. 
 
HOPEWELL BOROUGH — Long-serving Council President David Knights died suddenly after suffering a cardiac arrest Tuesday morning, town officials and family members said today. Knights, 60, had served on the Borough Council since 1997 and had “his fingerprints on all of the major projects and preservation efforts,” Borough Administrator Michele Hovan said.
“For me to tell you about David, it would take me all day. He was an oracle. He was bigger than life,” she said. “He is the best example of public service that you can find.”
Knights also served at a number of community organizations, including Preservation New Jersey, where he was board president, and was well-known in the business community as vice president of Picus Associates and marketing director for the Princeton Forrestal Center complex in Plainsboro.
Bob Wolfe, Princeton Forrestal Center general manager and president of Picus Associates, remembered Knights as an intense worker full of enthusiasm and excitement.
“He would get very wrapped up in things and was very focused on them. He usually had a couple things all going at once,” said Wolfe, who worked with Knights for 28 years.
One of Knights’ most important achievements while working for Picus, which managed the Forrestal Center for Princeton University, was the preservation of a substantial piece of Princeton Nursery lands, Wolfe said.
“That was an extraordinarily difficult thing to do. So many people with so many different opinions on what was right and was wrong. At times I’d throw my hands up in frustration, and he would say ‘Calm down, we’ll work this through,’” Wolfe said. “He ultimately was right. He herded a whole lot of cats in the same direction and achieved a very important land preservation.”
Knights started his service with the borough as a member of the Transportation Task Force, served for years on the planning board and then became a councilman. He oversaw the renovation of the Hopewell Railroad Station, now a multi-use community facility, was instrumental in preserving land that became Hopewell Park, and was a major figure in the 340-acre St. Michael’s Farm Preserve project, according to a biography provided by the borough.
He also worked to turn a former 1950’s-era Masonic Temple into the new Hopewell Borough Hall and courthouse that opened last year.
“He was a true champion of the borough,” Mayor Paul Anzano said. “He was enthusiastic, and he was always trying to figure out the best way to do things that would benefit the borough.”
Knights’ wife Linda said her husband had previously served on the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission and was involved in the Delaware and Raritan Greenway Land Trust.
The couple moved to Hopewell Borough in 1988 and had three children who are now in their 20s, she said.
“He was a warm and loving person and was completely devoted to his children,” she said. “He rarely said no to anything our children thought was a good idea. He would be overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for his family.”
Hovan said the council will probably select a new president Oct. 7. The local Republican committee will offer several names of potential successors for his seat for council to choose from, she said.
Contact Jon Offredo at joffredo@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5680.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

A Few Good Memories at Stave Island

 A Few Old Pics
The Stave Island Gang
 
 


 
 

Spencer's First Comments

I took the back roads home this evening all the while thinking about our friend DK. I drove by Andover Academy while sharing the sad news with Jim Hackett . Jim shared with me how DK a fellow student at Andover would assign any one whose name he did not know or recall with the generic name Ken . This of course did not stop him from greeting everyone in his baritone voice. Hello Ken !  I stopped in front of Dave's childhood home in Georgetown Ma and recalled our summertime  beers on his back porch with his sister Ruth. He shouldered so much more responsibility at 20 years old then I could ever have imagined.Managing a lumber yard and Hardware store, taking care of the home left to he and his sister by his deceased mother, paying his Brown tuition bills and still finding time to mentor young sophomores like myself. The summer of 1977 seems like yesterday.
           I only have a few friends e-mails on my IPad this evening but will start to gather more from my computer tomorrow when I can access my server in the office. Perhaps Douglas you could set up a blog , where people could share DK memories. I will share any information I receive relevant to services in his honor once they become available.

Most importantly my prayers go out to Linda, Charlie, Owen, Carolyn and his sister Ruth this evening. There will never be anyone more genuine in our life time then David Knights.

Much Love,Spencer




Remembering David Knights

At the Suggestion of Spencer Purinton I decided to create a Blog which could be a place where friends of David Knights could post fond memories of him. We want to remember him and share some of the important memories we have of him. God Bless You David!