Proclamation of Senator Jesse Knowles Day
 by Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
November 1, 2001

WHEREAS, former State Senator Jesse Knowles served as a member of the Senate from 1964 to 1980 and consistently served with excellence and honor for the betterment of Calcasieu Parish and the State of Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, Senator Knowles has served as a member and President of the Lake Charles Armed Forces Committee and is the only surviving member of a five-member group assigned in 1959 to write the Lake Charles City Charter; and

WHEREAS, Senator Knowles served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II and survived the infamous Bataan Death March and 1,228 days as a prisoner of war; and

WHEREAS, in 1999 Senator Knowles was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in action during World War II; and

WHEREAS, Senator Knowles has been a strong and faithful champion of his country and of all military veterans, believing that a strong military is the key to avoiding war; and

WHEREAS, the Calcasieu Parish Career Center is honored to have Senator Knowles as the guest speaker for their Veterans Day Program.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Elizabeth Conway Griffin, President of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, do hereby proclaim Friday, November 9, 2001, as

Senator Jesse Knowles Day

in the Parish of Calcasieu, State of Louisiana, in honor and appreciation of his dedicated and unselfish service to his parish, state and nation.
/s/ Elizabeth Conway Griffin, President
Calcasieu Parish Police Jury

Jesse Monroe Knowles

(July 23, 1919 – April 23, 2006)

Mr. Knowles was a Lake Charles, businessman, civic leader, former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from Calcasieu Parish, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March in World War II.

He was born in Merryville in Beauregard Parish but had resided in Lake Charles since 1935. Knowles graduated from Lake Charles High School (renamed Lake Charles Boston High School after desegregation).

In 1939, Knowles enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps.  He was captured by the Japanese army at Bataan and held in a number of prison camps for 1,228 days.  He was in the camp in Mukden, Manchuria, until he was liberated on August 15, 1945.  The Death March was featured in a National Broadcasting Company documentary in 1982 entitled "The Forgotten Hell."

As a president of the Mayor's Armed Forces Committee, he had regular contact with the Fort Polk staff in Leesville, the seat of Vernon Parish, and urged members of the military to visit Lake Charles.  He was a well-known speaker at school programs and veterans' ceremonies.

Knowles was a past commander of his area and district Veterans of Foreign Wars.  He was a past legislative officer and a past junior vice commander of the VFW Post 2130. He was also a member of W.B. Williamson American Legion Post 1, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Ex-Prisoners of War.  He was a past national president of the 27th Bombardment Group Association and was cited as "Man of the Year" by that group.  He was a member of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.

After he returned from the service, he went to work as a draftsman for Amoco Oil Co. and eventually became a fee land supervisor.  He retired with thirty-eight years of service from Amoco in 1984.  He was later employed by Lake Charles River Pilots.

Knowles was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives as a Democrat in the 1959-1960 election cycle.  In 1964, Knowles was elected again as a Democrat to the Louisiana State Senate, in which he served for four terms.  He was named "Outstanding Legislator" by the Lake Charles Jaycees.

In the 1979 jungle primary, Knowles did not seek a fifth state Senate term but instead ran for lieutenant governor in a bid to succeed James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr., of New Orleans, who was running instead, unsuccessfully, for governor.  Knowles lost, and fellow Democrat Robert "Bobby" Freeman became lieutenant governor for the first of two terms.

Knowles supported Republican gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen in the 1979 general election.  Early in 1980, Knowles, with just a few weeks remaining in his senate term, switched his party affiliation to Republican.  Governor Treen thereafter named Knowles, a past chairman of the Louisiana Wildlife Commission, as secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.  However, a heart attack caused him to resign the post after only twelve days.  Treen later named him to the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board.  He was also elected to the board of directors of the Louisiana Rice Council and served thereafter as president of that group.

Knowles was a part of a five-member group assigned in 1959 to write the Lake Charles city charter.
He was a 33rd-degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Lake Charles Lodge 165 F&AM.  He was a Shriner with great interest in health care for disabled children, and he was a charter member of the Habibi Temple.

Knowles was named "Patriot of the Year" by the Lake Charles Young Men's Business Club.  He was a member of the Propeller Club at the Port of Lake Charles.  He was also a past board member of the American Heart Association.  In 1980, he received investiture of the Honorary Legion of Honor Degree from the Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay.  He was a member of the Calcasieu Parish Kiwanis Club, the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, and the Louisiana Farm Bureau.

Knowles was honored on November 9, 2001, with "Senator Jesse Knowles Day" in Calcasieu Parish.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of Lake Charles, where he had been vice president of Sunday school classes.  He was survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Helen Noel Knowles, formerly of Abbeville in Vermilion Parish, and a niece, Jacqueline Oglesby of New Bern, North Carolina.

OBITUARY
Jesse Monroe Knowles

Published April 26, 2006
Daily Advertiser - Lafayette, Louisiana

LAKE CHARLES - Jesse Knowles, 86, died at 8:48 p.m. Sunday, April 23, 2006, in a local hospital with his loving wife of 65 years by his side.

Mr. Knowles was a native of Merryville and he had lived in Lake Charles for 71 years. He was a graduate of Lake Charles High School. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1939.  He served during World War II and was a survivor of the Bataan Death March.  He was then a prisoner of war of the Japanese army serving in a number of prison camps for more than three years.  The majority of his time was spent in a prison camp in Mukden, Manchuria until he was liberated on Aug. 15, 1945. While he was held captive, Mr. Knowles wrote a story explaining the experiences he encountered during his imprisonment. The story was titled, ''They."

He was a proud recipient of the Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal, Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman Badge, three Presidential Unit Citations and many other honors.  He also received a Medal of Honor from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mr. Knowles was a president of the Mayor's Armed Forces Committee and was a longtime chairman of the committee.  As president, he had regular contact with the Fort Polk staff, encouraging members of the military to visit Lake Charles. He was a well known speaker at school programs and veterans' ceremonies.

Mr. Knowles was past commander of VFW Champagne Businick Post 2130 and was past district commander of VFW District 5.  He was past legislative officer and past junior vice commander of the VFW. Mr. Knowles was a member of W.B. Williamson American Legion Post 1 and VFW Post 2130.  He was also a member of Disabled American Veterans.  Mr. Knowles was also a member of the American Ex-Prisoners of War.  He was a member and past national president of the 27th Bombardment Group Association.  He was a member of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.  He was named Man of the Year by the 27th Bomb Group.

After returning from the service, he went to work as a draftsman for Amoco Oil and eventually became a fee land supervisor, retiring in 1984 after 38 years of service and was later employed by the Lake Charles River Pilots.

Mr. Knowles served 20 years in the state Legislature. He served as state representative from 1960 to 1964 and served four terms in the state Senate from 1964 to 1980.  He was named Outstanding Legislator by the Lake Charles Jaycees. He was named secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in 1980 by Gov. Dave Treen.  Due to health issues, Mr. Knowles had to resign after just 12 days. He was past chairman of the Louisiana Wildlife Commission.  Gov. Treen named him to the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board.  He was elected to the board of directors of the Louisiana Rice Council, where he served as president.

He co-wrote the Lake Charles city charter. Mr. Knowles was named Patriot of the Year by the Lake Charles Young Men's Business Club.

He was a 33rd-degree Scottish Rite Mason and served as representative of the sovereign grand commander of the Scottish Rite-Lake Charles Valley Consistory. He was a member of Lake Charles Lodge 165 F&AM. He was also a Shriner and a charter member of the Habibi Temple.  Mr. Knowles was a member of the Propeller Club at the Port of Lake Charles. He was also a past board member of the American Heart Association.

In 1980, he received investiture of the Honorary Legion of Honor Degree from the Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay.

He was named Patriot of the Year by the Monsignor Hubert Cramers General Assembly, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus; Man of the Year by the Lake Charles Young Men's Business Club; Outstanding Legislator by the Lake Charles Jaycees; Legislative Conservationist of the Year by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and the Sears Roebuck Foundation; and recipient of the Liberty Bell Award presented by the Calcasieu Bar Association.

Mr. Knowles was a member of the Calcasieu Parish Kiwanis Club, the Imperial Calcasieu Museum and Louisiana Farm Bureau.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of Lake Charles and had served as vice president of the Sunday school classes.

Survivors include his loving wife, Helen Noel Knowles, formerly of Abbeville; and his niece, Jacqueline Oglesby, of New Bern, N.C.

His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 27, 2006, in First Baptist Church of Lake Charles.

John White will officiate, with Mayor Randy Roach delivering the eulogy.

Burial will be in St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church Cemetery in Abbeville at 2:30 p.m. following the service.

Visitation will be observed from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. today in the funeral home.

A VFW service will be held at 5:30 p.m., an American Legion service at 6 p.m. and a Masonic service at 6:30 p.m.

Visitation will continue from 10 a.m. Thursday in the church.

Words of comfort to the family may be expressed at:  www.johnsonfuneralhome.net

Donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd St., Suite 1100, New York, NY 10016; Odyssey Health Care, 1639 A Ryan St., Suite 1, Lake Charles, LA 70601; or to Christus St. Patrick Foundation, 524 S. Ryan St., Lake Charles, LA 70601.

Johnson Funeral Home of Lake Charles is in charge of arrangements