Kathryn Knight

Kathryn Ann (Kaye) Knight was born November 27 in Douglas County, Minnesota, the only daughter of M.C. and Kari Anne Fairfield Laven. She joined two brothers, Robert, who died in WWII, and Joseph David, who died in 2012. She attended elementary and junior high school in Tacoma, Washington, but by high school, the family had moved to Spokane, where she graduated from Lewis and Clark High School.

In 1955, she graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in elementary education. She was a 60-year member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity. While at the U of I she met her husband, Lawrence L. Knight, M.D. They have been a love match for 68 years. They enjoyed winters in Palm Desert, Mexico, and Hawaii. Traveling throughout the world together was an important part of their lives.

Following college graduation, Kaye taught in Seattle public schools while Larry attended medical school at the University of Washington. Internship and residency training moved them to Denver and Oklahoma City.

Following residency and the birth of three children, the family moved to Boise where Dr. Knight became chief of pathology at St. Luke’s Hospital, and Kaye began a 50-year career as an active community volunteer. She was a member of Junior League of Boise, where she served on the board as secretary, and later on the Jr. League Sustainer Board. In 1994, she was elected “Sustainer of the Year” by the Junior League. For two years she was an Ada County Planning commissioner, and five years an Ada County Zoning commissioner, while serving at the same time on the Board of Adjustment for Ada County. She worked diligently trying to educate developers on the merits of sidewalks and curbs, and the negatives of impacting already-overcrowded schools.

As president of Ada County Medical Society Auxiliary, Kaye co-chaired the Fred Norman production of “Shenandoah”, to raise funds for the Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI). In 1981 she was elected president of the Idaho State Medical Auxiliary. Under her leadership, the auxiliary successfully lobbied the legislature to pass the first child car seat law in the state.

She later served as representative from the western states on the membership committee of the American Medical Association Alliance, traveling several times to the national meetings in Chicago.

Kaye was the second president of the Morrison Center Auxiliary. During her tenure, the center presented, free to the community, 13 performances of “Camelot”.

She founded and, for three years, directed the Meridian School Volunteer program. She co-organized the Idaho Homemakers Service. Both groups are still active more than 30 years later.

Kaye was an active member of the board of directors of the following organizations: The Friends of the Bishop’s House, the Idaho Historical Auxiliary, and the Boise Racquet and Swim Club (charter member). While her daughters were Candy Stripers at St. Luke’s, she was advisor to the Junior Auxiliary. She also served one year as president of the Idaho Preservation Council. In 1979 she received a Distinguished Citizen award from the Idaho Statesman.

For ten years, she was a member of the board of directors of the Boise Philharmonic, president of the Guild as well, and served one year as president of the board. During her Philharmonic years, she co-chaired two fund-raising events, the 1988 “Orchestrated Opening” of the Boise Towne Square mall, and the 1994 “Symphony of Fashion”, which was a Nordstrom’s-based event which raised thousands of dollars to benefit the orchestra.

In 1996 she was president of the Idaho Ronald McDonald House board of directors and served 17 years on that board, including several years on the grant-making committee. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, she was on the board of the Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA) the Ada County women’s’ crisis center, and chaired nominations from 2003 to 2008.

In 2003, Larry and Kaye were honored by the University of Idaho with the Jim Lyle Award for Volunteerism. She also, in 2006, received the Silver Sage Girl Scouts “Women of Today and Tomorrow” award. For several years she served on the advisory board to the University of Idaho College of Education. Additional U of I awards to Kaye and Larry included the Silver and Gold Award, the President’s Medallion, the College of Science.

Dean’s Achievement Award (including recognition of thei STEM fellowship[ at the University), and induction into the 1889 Society.

In 2011 Kaye received the Joyce Stein Award at the WCA twin luncheon for her leadership in producing the book “Women Helping Women”. This was a centennial history of the Boise YWCA-WCA, accomplished in conjunction with Marily Shuler, Carol Martin, Susan Stacey, and Sarah Nash.

Most recently she encouraged and helped fund the renovation of the Surgeon’s Quarters on the Veteran Administration- Ft. Boise campus, in conjunction with Preservation Idaho.

In her spare time, Kaye enjoyed researching her family history which included trips to Massachusetts, England, and Sweden. She has left a wealth of information to her descendants, embracing the Fairfield family history beginning in 1624 in Wenham, Massachusetts. This family background led to her induction into the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

In 2016 at the age of 83, under the nom de plume of Kathryn Fairfield Knight, she published a book on the history of the Fairfield family, early settlers of New England in 1638, and the Fairfield descendants.

In 2018, at the Junior League of Boise Diamond Gala, celebrating 90 years of service to the community, Kaye was the first recipient of the Marilyn Shuler Lifetime Service Award for her years of community service.

Surviving her are her five children: KC (Richard) Waddel of Mountain Home, Idaho, Kelley (Doug) Hoyt of E. Dundee, Illinois, Kristin (James) Scanlon of Meridian, Idaho, Karin (William) Iuliano of Boise, Idaho, and David Knight of Montreal, Canada. Her 13 grandchildren include Kristopher Hicks, Karianne Hicks Catic (Arnel), Kory Hicks, Kathryn Waddel Blumetti, James Waddel, Samantha Hoyt, Cameron Hoyt, Kyle Knight, Kiera Knight, Nathan Tollefson, Alek Tollefson, and Sonja Tollefson. She has one great grandson, Liam Catic.

Memorials may be directed in her name to the WCA Endowment or to the Ronald McDonald House, both in Boise.

Kaye loved her life, family, tennis, books, her lifelong friends, the Ada County Medical Alliance book club, and the Junior League Sustainer book club. She left with thanks to all who added to her very full life.

Kaye’s final quote: “As a volunteer, I have helped to provide music (Philharmonic) to our citizens in a beautiful building (Morrison Center), helped to provide a home away from home to sick children and their families (Ronald McDonald House), helped to provide a safe sanctuary for abused women and children (WCA), and ensured that little children are safely restrained in vehicles (IMA), all of which I believe have had an impact on our community and our citizens.”