MARION BURK KNOTT


        Henry Joseph Knott—the Baltimore-born, Roman Catholic

businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction

of Knott Hall—was born to a simple carpenter and his wife on

November 2, 1906. He would become the eldest of six boys.

        Marion Isabel Burk—the person to whom Knott Hall is

dedicated--was born on April 24, 1910, in Richmond, Virginia.

Marion’s mother died in 1914, and Marion’s father died in 1921.

So, at the age of eleven, Marion moved to Baltimore, Maryland,

to live with her aunt and uncle.

        Marion had a difficult childhood in Baltimore. Her aunt

and uncle charged her with many chores, including both

cooking for and looking after the children in a small

boarding house run by her family. Marion led a young life full

of daily responsibilities, and received little formal

education as a result. In 1926, Marion met Henry J. Knott on a

blind date arranged by Henry’s good friend Matt Lump. They

were married on August 2, 1928.

        The Knott family soon began growing and would

ultimately include twelve children: Mary Patricia Knott;

Marion Isabel Knott; Martha Alice Knott; Margaret Celeste

Knott; Ann Carlisle Knott (who would die of cancer in 1949);

Henry J. Knott, Jr.; Catherine Philemon Knott; Rose Marie

Knott; Sarah Lindsay Knott; Francis Xavier Knott; James

Frederick Knott; Martin Gerard Knott; and Mary Stuart Knott.

        Her children became Marion’s whole life. They were her

job and her social life: virtually all of her responsibility

and all of her entertainment rested in them. For example,

Marion shopped with coupons, and had to make multiple trips

to stores in order to acquire enough food and clothing for

everyone. The weekly grocery bill often reached $160.00 as the

family consumed twenty-eight loaves of bread, eighty-four

quarts of milk, thirteen pounds of ham, and ten dozen eggs

every seven days.

        Henry J. Knott, Sr., originally an assistant to a mason,

AMASSED his fortune BY developing homes, apartment

buildings, and malls. In 1946, Henry developed his first town

home, and business continued with his contacts IN Johns

Hopkins University and the Baltimore City Housing Authority.

Henry was the first developer in Baltimore to employ the

practice of prefabricating wall panels in a factory, and then

sending them out to construction sites. This combination of

hard work, ingenuity, and good fortune made Henry J. Knott,

Sr., wealthy.

        His escalating wealth permitted Henry to become heavily

involved in private philanthropy. In 1975, Henry donated the

single largest contribution in the college’s 167-year history

to Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmittsburg, Maryland. In 1977,

Henry founded the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation, a

philanthropic venture that still aims to strengthen the

communities of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1981, Henry donated

$20 million to the Archdiocese of Baltimore—again the

largest single donation the Archdiocese of Baltimore has

ever received. In the late 1980’s, Henry even funded the

construction of Marion Burk Knott Hall at the University of

Notre Dame.

        Henry J. Knott, Sr., worked at the Marion I. and Henry J.

Knott Foundation until his death at age 89 in 1995. Marion

survived her husband, dying at age 93 in 2003. Henry and

Marion are survived by more than fifty grandchildren and

fifty-five great-grandchildren.