6/5/2006 Carroll Times Herald Milwaukee attorney Douglas Knott tells courtrooms he’s from Carroll Douglas Knott’s emphasis in medical malpractice defenses By DOUGLAS BURNS Staff Writer MILWAUKEE, Wis. --- Carroll native Douglas Knott, an accomplished attorney in Milwaukee, faced a serious challenge when he started looking for work: his own curiosity.``I am very curious about many things and had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do for a living --- not because I wasn’t interested in anyything, but because I was interested in everything,'' Knott said in a recent interview with the Daily Times Herald. ``I enjoy the fact that my job allows me to learn about other people’s jobs and to become conversant in their fields. I don’t perform surgeries, but I sure talk to a lot of doctors who do, and I learn a lot about what they do and why.'' Knott, a 1983 Carroll High School graduate and a son of longtime Carroll educator James Knott and veteran nurse Marje Knott, is a shareholder at Leib & Katt in Milwaukee, a firm of 12 attorneys. The firm’s emphasis is in products liability litigation and medical malpractice defense. Most of Knott’s practice is medical-malpractice defense. ``That means we are hired by insurance companies to defend hospitals, doctors and dentists in court,'' he said. ``But I am involved in other litigation, too. Practicing litigation, it’s hard, hard work, but it’s all very interesting.'' Knott was the fourth in his family to attend the University of Iowa. ``We paid tuition at UI continuously from 1972 to 1990,'' he said. Knott graduated with a major in political science and communications studies in 1987. He then went to the University of Iowa School of Law. ``I interviewed with firms in Milwaukee because I had been to visit with a friend and thought that it was a nice fit for an Iowan who was not much interested in a `big’ city and I wanted to go to a town with Major League baseball, preferably American League,'' he said. Knott then joked, ``Minneapolis had Astroturf and that atrocious stadium, so here I landed.'' Knott worked briefly for the Attorney General’s Office in Iowa but then found his way back to Milwaukee. ``I really thought I’d work for a big firm for a few years, watch baseball, then return to Iowa to practice like the lawyers I knew growing up --- Bill Polking and Ron Schechtman,'' Knott said. ``But I met a girl from Arlington Heights, Illinois, and that delayed the plan.'' He and wife, Carol, a corporate tax auditor and CPA working for the State of Wisconsin, have three children; Emily, 9; Katie, 6; and Dylan 3. In the early 1980s Knott recalls being a part of a small CHS class. ``People in my class did many things,'' Knott said. I played football and baseball, as well as being involved in drama, speech, jazz band, choir and student government.'' Knott believes he received an excellent education in the Carroll schools. ``My teachers did a great job of preparing me for college and nurturing the curiosity that still drives me today,'' he said. ``My job involves argument --- verbal and written. I apply daily what I learned at CHS. I also utilize the basics of science that Mr. (Bill) Foval and Mr. (Tom) Cullinan taught me.'' Added Knott: ``If I had the opportunity to thank one person in Carroll --- which maybe I do --- I’d thank Mrs. (CCleo) Tilton. She pointed me in the right direction as a person and gave me a nudge. She was a great teacher. My dad’s influence on me is obvious. But my dad is my dad; Mrs. Tilton is my teacher.'' Former Carroll High School basketball coach Bill Baddeley has had a lasting influence as well, Knott said. ``He taught me enough about basketball that I continue to play and am a fan of the game,'' he said. While he doesn’t live in Carroll Knott said he often drops his hometown’s name. ``I inevitably tell people I meet that I’m from Carroll, Iowa,'' Knott said. ``I don’t know why or what I expect these cheeseheads think about it, but I have told juries, judges, court reporters, other lawyers, doctors and everybody else I’ve come across that I’m from Carroll, Iowa.'' --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/15/2006 Carroll Times Herald James Knott Knott leaves giant’s footprint in schools By DOUGLAS BURNS Staff Writer In the 1940s James Knott, son of an independent-minded Denison trucker, found himself as a student in literature class with a teacher who had some exceptionally conventional ideas about what made for suitable reading ``And I’ll have none of that trash like Grapes of Wrath,’'' Knott recalled the teacher saying. ``So I got up to give my report, and I gave it on `The Grapes of Wrath’ and she booted me out of American literature.'' In nearly 50 years as an educator, most of it in Carroll, first as a teacher at Carroll High School and then as dean/provost of the local Des Moines Area Community College, Knott cultivated generations of students who would have done exactly what he did that day all those years ago: challenge conventional wisdom, no matter the cost. ``I was quite convinced in 1975 that Mr. Knott was the smartest man in the world,'' said Dan Pomeroy, a Coon Rapids pharmacist and CHS’s valedictorian that year. ``Thirty years later I know that can’t be true, but I wouldn’t bet on it. How teachers impact a student’s life is a curious subject. Here is a man who taught generations of Carroll High students how to think, read and speak. How do you quantify that kind of impact? I know I can’t possibly express what he meant to me nor could I ever repay the debt to him his teaching did for me.'' Knott, 76, retires from the provost’s position at the Carroll campus effective June 30. He will continue to teach speech and literature and other courses in the humanities at DMACC. The school is currently interviewing potential provosts. There will be an open house with refreshments to honor Knott from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 16, at DMACC in Rooms 146-148. When Knott started at DMACC enrollment stood at 180 students. Today it is 847. Under a collaborative program with high schools developed with Knott’s vision hundreds of area teens are getting a head start on college courses, according to Carroll schools superintendent Rob Cordes. Cordes said 154 CHS students, juniors and seniors, took DMACC classes in the spring, resulting in thousands of dollars in savings for tuition that would have been paid later in colleges. ``We have kids graduating high school that are going into college as second-semester freshmen,'' Cordes said. ``They’re more likely to get the classes they want.'' Other schools involved in the Western Iowa Consortium are: Kuemper Catholic High School, Manning, Audubon, Southern Cal, Irwin-Kirkman-Manilla, Ar-We-Va, Glidden-Ralston and Coon Rapids-Bayard. During his tenure at DMACC Knott oversaw a number of key collaborations with high schools and other colleges, most notably the development of a highly successful education and business curriculum with the University of Northern Iowa and a nursing program affiliated with the University of Iowa. ``We have all heard the `water-in-the-bucket story’ and how little change there is when you pull your hand out,'' said DMACC president Rob Denson. ``However, in this case the bucket goes to only half full when Jim pulls his hand out. He has made that much difference. Jim Knott becoming provost for the DMACC Carroll campus was one of those destiny-changing events that most organizations can only hope will happen at some time during their existence. For most it never does. His expertise and passion were never to be denied as he made his mark on DMACC and Carroll.'' Knott started his career in Carroll during the presidency of John F. Kennedy in 1961, as an English teacher at Carroll High School. ``The reason I came here is because I didn’t want to teach my own kids,'' Knott said. ``I wanted to send them to Kuemper.'' From 1961 to 1987 Knott taught English, literature, speech, drama, humanities and debate. Then in 1987, spying opportunities to help shape an entire school in the emerging community college field, Knott earned the dean’s slot at DMACC, a position he has held for nearly 20 years. A native of Denison, Knott grew up in a working-class home, graduating from Denison High School in 1948. He worked as a grade foreman in road construction after high school for Sioux City and Atlantic based companies. When the Korean War started Knott enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served as a radio operator with fighter squadrons stationed in Alaska. In some of the more forlorn reaches of North America, Knott ratcheted up a childhood love of reading. ``I did because there was so much darned down time,'' Knott said. At one point, in an outpost on the Bering Sea, Knott read 46 novels in 50 days. ``I read everything that could be read,'' Knott said. To this day he still reads fiction or non-fiction books 30 minutes a day. Knott, who married his hometown sweetheart, Marjorie, now a longtime nurse at St. Anthony Regional Hospital, left the military and headed straight for Buena Vista University (then college) on a football and baseball scholarship. He said it was awkward to transition from construction and military life --- men’s work --- to a college campus with far younger students. ``I was in line with guys from college signing up for classes,'' Knott recalled. ``That was not easy. But my wife saved me. She said, `If you don’t do this, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’'' Sports didn’t work out for Knott at Buena Vista. He’d hurt his knee playing semi-pro football in Alaska for $50 a game --- as both a linebacker and offensive end. ``That’s when we went both ways, old buddy,'' Knott said. With a large group of servicemen on campus Knott soon became president of BV College Veterans, and as a senior, president of the full student body. He ended up with a scholarship in debate and earned his degree in business, planning to be a high-powered lawyer, later the chosen profession of two of his sons, Brad and Douglas. With a college degree and military experience, as well as a work ethic honed on the open road and during a stint tending bar (where Knott made more money than he would as a beginning teacher), the Milwaukee Railroad recruited him for its junior executive program. ``I only lasted about two weeks,'' Knott said. ``They were cut-throat. They resented me because I was in the junior executive program. Fortunately, Knott had picked up a teaching certificate along the way and decided he would spend some time in the classroom before going to law school. As it turns out, Knott would never get to the courtroom, except, ironically, as the teacher who launched Carroll High School’s now formidable mock trial program with Carroll attorney Robert Peters in the late 1980s. A contact he’d made in the Alta School District found out Knott was looking to teach and called him. The school had a crop of what Knott affectionately called ``rugged farm bastards'' who’d run off two English teachers with their antics in the classroom. Understanding that teens with attitudes were nothing compared to hot days on Iowa road crews and freezer-burn evenings in Alaska, Knott gamely accepted the challenge. On the first day of class, Knott told the rowdies he’d heard they didn’t want to learn, to do anything. So he collected the students’ books, and told them, ``We’re going to do nothing.'' He meant it: no talking, no reading, nothing. Just pure idleness. On the fourth day of this Knott caught some of the kids whispering about buying a car. They couldn’t figure out the interest rate. He asked the students if they wanted to learn how to make a good deal on the car. ``They were all really interested,'' Knott said. Soon they had their books back as well. And Knott was hooked on teaching. His only other move before Carroll was to Marathon, north of Storm Lake, where Knott would teach English and history. His alma mater, BV, was known as a football coach factory, and Knott said the fact that coaches made more than teachers disgusted him. So he asked the superintendent to be paid $500 above what any coach would make coming out of BV. ``I thought it was over, but I came home from work and there he was in his car,'' Knott said. Knott made $4,350 in 1958 --- exactly $500 more than the best-paid coach coming out of BV. He grew fond of the school district but jumped at the chance to move to Carroll where his Catholic family would have a choice of schools. At Carroll he quickly became a leader, a figure respected by students and his colleagues, but, as the statewide president of the teachers’ union in the 1970s, not always a favorite of the administration. He was always suspicious of authority, very much the boy who was tossed out of class that day for the report on ``The Grapes of Wrath.'' Pomeroy said he remembered one story that was popular at Carroll High in the ’70s involving ``theater in the round'' in which the stage is in the middle of the gym floor, surrounded by the audience. ``Well, theater in the round precludes `prompters’ off the wings behind the curtains to help when an actor stalls on his line,'' Pomeroy said. ``So someone freezes on their line, and after an extremely long and uncomfortable pause you hear the loud clip clop, clip clop of his wing tips marching across the gym floor. Mr. Knott stops right by the set and says loudly: `Well, it’s not my line!’ That jolted the Carroll High actor to remember his, and the play went on.'' Beyond the classes he taught Knott was also accomplished as a play director, recalled Pomeroy. ``And in speech contests he could coach `1’ ratings in poetry and book review as astutely as he could in the `meatier’ events like oration or extemporaneous speaking,'' Pomeroy said. Knott also forced his student to think about things they didn’t want to think about, to read people they didn’t like, said Pomeroy who earned first-team all-state honors in debate and speech under Knott’s guidance. ``He taught us how to appreciate reading authors or newspaper columnists we flatly did not agree with,'' Pomeroy said. ``His logic class taught us critical thinking and how to analyze both sides of an issue. His humanities class taught us appreciation of the arts and compassion for our common man.'' At age 57, when many teachers retire, even today, Knott started a second career. At Carroll High School he helped build the place one student at a time. Now, at DMACC, he had a staff, and 50 years of ideas about his passion, learning. ``For many years Jim built a reputation as an outstanding classroom teacher, providing his students with the knowledge and self-esteem that would enable them to lead more productive and satisfying lives,'' said Daily Times Herald publisher James B. Wilson. ``Very few have done it as well. And the transition from classroom teacher to administrator has been equally successful. ``Under Jim’s leadership DMACC in Carroll has made great strides. Enrollment has increased, the college’s profile has been elevated, course offerings and job training have expanded, and collaborative programs with area high schools have been developed. ``Today the Carroll campus is recognized statewide and in some national quarters as a quality, innovative institution, and it plays a significant role in the lives of our area residents and the development of our community.'' As Wilson noted, Knott helped DMACC’s Carroll campus earn a strong standing outside the city limits. ``Jim Knott has devoted his life to helping Iowans get a first-rate education. His leadership has helped make the DMACC Carroll campus a place where Iowans can obtain knowledge and skills that empower them to go after their dreams,'' said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin. ``Jim was instrumental in developing the 2+2 teacher-preparation program, an innovative partnership with the University of Northern Iowa that has produced scores of qualified teachers for local schools. I am deeply thankful to Jim for giving so many in our state the opportunity to always keep learning.'' Steve Schulz, assistant to the dean at DMACC and former Carroll schools superintendent and middle school principal, has worked closely with Knott on educational initiatives at several levels. ``I have been fortunate to work with and more importantly get to know Jim Knott quite well over the last six years.'' Schulz said. ``Shortly after becoming superintendent, Jim and I began work on offering dual-credit courses to area high school students. ``This work evolved into the Western Iowa Consortium that now offers college opportunities to students in eight high schools in western Iowa. This is a great example of Jim’s leadership ability. He identified a need and then involved area school administrators in the planning and implementation of the dual-credit programming. ``What has impressed me most about Jim is his commitment to provide quality educational opportunities to the citizens of western Iowa. Jim has been involved in many community organizations over the years, but he has always been an educator first. He understands the value of education and has made it his professional mission to make a difference by teaching and by providing opportunities for students at DMACC. ``Jim’s lifelong commitment to teaching and the teaching profession should serve as the model for all educators. His desire to teach is alive and well today. We hope that Jim will continue to teach part time for DMACC after he retires.'' Carroll attorney and former lieutenant governor Art Neu, a longtime advocate for DMACC, said Jim Knott has provided superb leadership for DMACC in Carroll. ``Under his leadership the 2+2 program in elementary education and business technology was established with UNI,'' Neu said. ``The graduates of the elementary education program have for the most part found jobs with schools in the Carroll area. I don’t think people understand what an accomplishment this was and how well Jim worked with the UNI people to get the program operating. ``Most recently he has established a nursing program with the University of Iowa which will help supply hospitals in Carroll and contiguous counties with nurses. Apart from those four-year-degree programs’ DMACC’s enrollment has increased greatly while Jim was the provost, and he has built up the faculty greatly. More and more young people in high school are taking college-level courses for which they receive credit at the university or college they attend. ``DMACC has also been an integral factor when new businesses look to locate or expand in Carroll and require training for their new employees. DMACC has been a great asset to the community. ``Through all this Jim has insisted on teaching at least one course. He still greatly enjoys teaching and the contact he has with his students. He has done a great job and will be missed even though he will still be teaching some courses at DMACC.'' Cathy Lawyer, DMACC’s media specialist, also worked with Knott in his Carroll High years. ``Jim Knott is a proactive and engaged educator with student’s learning as first priority, a believer in the fact that everyone can learn and has a right to question, analyze and develop ownership on personal style of thinking,'' Lawyer said. ``He has contributed to the personal success and progress of many students in the Carroll area over the years. He has been a key factor in the growth of DMACC Carroll campus programs and expansion projects.'' Carroll Area Development Corp. director Jim Gossett said the bottom line is Carroll’s bottom line, the business climate, is better because of Knott whose leadership has created a more highly skilled workforce and kept more western Iowans in the state. ``Many business owners and managers have relayed fond memories of Jim as a teacher,'' Gossett said. ``DMACC’s customized programs allow employers the opportunity to tailor employee training to their specific needs. Jim has established a culture of service at DMACC that will last well beyond his tenure as teacher and provost.'' Knott and his wife, Marjorie, have seven children: Bud, who died in a car accident; Lori Cooper, a physicians’ assistant in Phoenix; Brad Knott, a professor and political consultant in the Washington, D.C., area; Jeff, maintenance director for the National Guard in Colorado; Ketsie Wilkins of Waukee, an administrator with Principal Financial; Douglas Knott, an attorney in Milwaukee; and Jennifer Pottebaum, a Kuemper Catholic kindergarten teacher. -------------------------------------------------------- From HAVA Partners website at http://www.havapartners.net/management.cfm in 2007 Bradley Knott, Managing Partner, is a former administrative judge at the United State Department of Labor, and is an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, University College's, School of Business Administration. Brad was a pioneer in online instruction and has used interactive media to train employees from the federal government and in the private sector since 1996. Brad is a former president of Communications Strategies and Services, a political consulting business. He has over twenty five years experience in working in elections. Knott is a frequent lecturer on the political process at American University’s School of Congressional and Presidential Studies. He has a Masters Degree in communications from the University of Iowa and law degree form Catholic University of America.