Dr. Clyde Knight

Clyde Belin Knight was born Nov. 16, 2007. In high school at church camp, Clyde felt called to become a teacher. 

He received a B.S. in industrial arts and biology education from East Central State College in Ada and an M.S. in trade and industrial education from Oklahoma State University. He first taught industrial arts mechanical drawing/drafting, woodworking and biology at Stratford High School.

Having received a Best Actor’s award for his college years, he also annually directed school plays. During this time, he built houses during weekends and summers and designed houses and commercial buildings part-time as a consultant for Mays Lumber Yard in Stratford.

Knight next taught vocational carpentry at Shawnee High School, was a summer instructor of trade and industrial education teacher training and an adjunct professor of extension classes for Oklahoma State University. He became an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University and accepted assignments to live, teach, set up and develop curriculum for teacher education programs in Bangkok, Thailand; Amman, Jordan; and Belize City, Belize.

He became an associate professor, receiving his Ed.D. in higher education as a teacher trainer. Later he received the status of full professorship, occupational and adult education, at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Knight received numerous awards for his outstanding contributions in vocational education both here and abroad. He was honored by the naming of an annual “Clyde B. Knight Best Educator’s Award” for his dedication to the advancement, promotion and leadership of trade and industrial education and received an Outstanding Service Award from the American Vocational Association and a Certificate of Appreciation for Meritorious Service and Curriculum Development from the Ministry of Education in Bangkok, Thailand.

Knight was known and honored through 44 years of innovative service in education, with an emphasis on students and future teachers. He received recognition for his contributions to higher education in Jordan from the Ministry of Education and the king, and he received a medal for his contributions to education, including setting up and training for 15 vo-tech schools and the first teacher-training college in Bangkok, Thailand.

He is nationally known for his textbooks, curriculum writing, journal articles, presentations and workshops across the United States and overseas. With graduates in education in 15 countries, Dr. Knight retired in 1996. He and his wife enjoy participating in church activities, community events and academic classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. His hobbies are woodworking, furniture building and writing mystery novels.

Knight was inducted into the CareerTech Hall of Fame in 2003.