In an interview from May 14, 1981 (audio only, no transcript), Basil T. Knight talks about his youth in Michigan, meeting his wife’s family in Palisade, Colorado and ultimately moving there, operating a fruit farm, and becoming a lifelong teacher and school administrator. He explains the mechanisms that originally funded the many smaller school districts on the Western Slope, including taxes on railroads, and the reasons for the consolidation that created Mesa County Valley School District 51, De Beque Joint District 49, and Plateau Valley School District 50. Mr. Knight speaks about his involvement in ROTC during college, his service during World War I, and his membership in the Last Squad Club, a group of World War I veterans in Mesa County. Velma (Roe) Knight also discusses her family’s history in Palisade.
In an interview recorded on November 17, 1982 (transcript only, no audio), Basil Knight talks about growing up in Michigan, his grade school education, playground games, and going to college at Michigan State University. He shares memories of Palisade, Colorado where he and his wife owned an orchard. He discusses the schools he taught and worked in, working as a social worker, being a contact for the migrant school, becoming superintendent of schools, and assisting Navajo families with clothing donations. He speaks about the formation of the Mesa County Teachers Federal Credit Union, and the origins of Grand Junction High School’s cafeteria and lunch program. These interviews were conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
*Photograph from the 1943 Grand Junction High School yearbook.
