Jim Knox, A Caring Legacy

Jim Knox was a friend and employee when I was in charge of Campus Computing Sites. He was an easygoing soul who didn't seem the least bit annoyed to be reporting to some undergraduate kid he'd met umpteen years before. Jim's university work focused on two major areas: the User Advocate team and Adaptive Technology.

Through his User Advocate work, Jim had to deal with computer law that was just developing and with law enforcement that wasn't always tech savvy. He got to deal with hackers and their victims, cyberstalkers and their victims, and with record companies and their victims. As a User Advocate, Jim helped develop the principles and procedures that we use in these matters to this day.

However, Jim's true calling and his true genius was his work in Adaptive Technology. He worked tirelessly on behalf of those with disabilities to improve their use of the University¹s technology resources. In this age of tight budgets and uncertain futures, we often become utilitarian. The needs of the many are more important, as we know, than the needs of the few or of the one. Jim Knox didn't believe that for a second. He strongly believed in the value of the one — each and every one. Jim felt that it was incumbent upon us to buy or craft a piece of hardware, furniture, or software that better molded the machine to the needs of the user with disabilities. Helping someone to overcome obstacles in their use of campus technology was his priority. Jim researched new adaptive technologies and developed some of his own when there wasn't anything available. The disability community had no greater advocate and friend than Jim Knox.

After his untimely death in 2010, Jim's family endowed a fund to both name the Adaptive Technology Computing Site after Jim (its founder and first director) and to provide the financial wherewithal to help provide technology assistance to those in need.

One of my last efforts in Campus Computing Sites was to work with the University Library, ITS, the new Knox Center director, and others to move the Knox Center to a much improved space in the Shapiro Library. Finally, after much effort, that has come to pass. I will be attending the rededication of the Knox Center this Thursday afternoon. It is an honor to recognize a friend and to recommit to his most worthy legacy.

If you are of the philanthropic bent, the James Edward Knox Memorial Fund Endowment (731168) is one of the funds that you can contribute to through the Office of Development (giving.umich.edu). I hope you will consider making it a part of your giving plans.