KNOWLES, Bill Claude, 79, passed away Tuesday, February 5, 2013 in Tulsa, OK. Born December 29, 1933 in McKinney, TX to William Claude and Annie Ruth (Akin) Knowles. He grew up in Muskogee, OK.
Graduate of Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971. He was a distinguished architect designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state.
Lifelong member of Church of Christ where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher and was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
His lifelong dream was his 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties.
Survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings, and eight grandchildren. Services were held Saturday, 2/9/2013 at 11:00 A.M., Park Plaza Church of Christ-Tulsa. Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233
[Billy was preceded in death by his first wife, Shirley M. Knowles.]
As published in the Tulsa World on February 7, 2013:
Tulsa Jail architect Billy Knowles dies at 79
By TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer
published: Thursday, 2-7-13
Given his day job, it was only natural that Billy Knowles aspired to a life without walls.
And the distinguished architect - designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state - knew exactly where to find it: at his ranch in Wagoner County.
The 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties had been a longtime dream, his wife, Marcy Knowles, said.
"He cleared it and built it himself and built us a home there," she said, adding that if he wasn't at his office or at church, that's where you'd likely find him.
Not that there was any danger of the architect retreating there full time. Her husband, pushing 80, was just not the retiring kind.
"Retirement? Oh my goodness no. Not Billy," Knowles said. "He was still devoted to his firm, to his projects."
Billy Claude Knowles, former chief architect and partner of Tulsa-based BKL Inc., died Tuesday. He was 79.
A visitation is planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Moore's Southlawn Funeral Home. A funeral service is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Park Plaza Church of Christ.
Although Knowles was involved in various kinds of projects through BKL, it was in building a better jail that he made his reputation.
He did his first corrections facilities in the early 1970s with projects in Hominy and Lexington and was involved soon after in improvements at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester in the wake of riots there in 1973.
With the city and county jails that followed, Knowles often was designing state-of-the-art replacements for old facilities, many of which dated to the first three decades after statehood.
The $72 million Tulsa Jail, officially the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, was completed in 1999 and received multiple architecture awards and mention in magazine articles.
A native of McKinney, Texas, Knowles grew up in Muskogee. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971.
One of his first projects was to design the stage for the dedication of the Port of Catoosa, for which he coordinated with the staff of President Nixon, who attended.
Although he eventually sold his interest in the firm, Knowles remained a "partner in spirit," BKL principal and architect Kim Reeves said, adding that Knowles was proud of the firm's direction as it branched out further into government facilities.
"He was well-known for being the keeper of the budget on projects," Reeves said. "Often, late in the project, he would pull out a poster board that he had prepared at the beginning to compare it with the final project cost. He was almost always on target."
Knowles was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher. He was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
Knowles is survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings; and eight grandchildren.
Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
Graduate of Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971. He was a distinguished architect designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state.
Lifelong member of Church of Christ where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher and was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
His lifelong dream was his 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties.
Survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings, and eight grandchildren. Services were held Saturday, 2/9/2013 at 11:00 A.M., Park Plaza Church of Christ-Tulsa. Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233
[Billy was preceded in death by his first wife, Shirley M. Knowles.]
As published in the Tulsa World on February 7, 2013:
Tulsa Jail architect Billy Knowles dies at 79
By TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer
published: Thursday, 2-7-13
Given his day job, it was only natural that Billy Knowles aspired to a life without walls.
And the distinguished architect - designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state - knew exactly where to find it: at his ranch in Wagoner County.
The 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties had been a longtime dream, his wife, Marcy Knowles, said.
"He cleared it and built it himself and built us a home there," she said, adding that if he wasn't at his office or at church, that's where you'd likely find him.
Not that there was any danger of the architect retreating there full time. Her husband, pushing 80, was just not the retiring kind.
"Retirement? Oh my goodness no. Not Billy," Knowles said. "He was still devoted to his firm, to his projects."
Billy Claude Knowles, former chief architect and partner of Tulsa-based BKL Inc., died Tuesday. He was 79.
A visitation is planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Moore's Southlawn Funeral Home. A funeral service is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Park Plaza Church of Christ.
Although Knowles was involved in various kinds of projects through BKL, it was in building a better jail that he made his reputation.
He did his first corrections facilities in the early 1970s with projects in Hominy and Lexington and was involved soon after in improvements at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester in the wake of riots there in 1973.
With the city and county jails that followed, Knowles often was designing state-of-the-art replacements for old facilities, many of which dated to the first three decades after statehood.
The $72 million Tulsa Jail, officially the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, was completed in 1999 and received multiple architecture awards and mention in magazine articles.
A native of McKinney, Texas, Knowles grew up in Muskogee. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971.
One of his first projects was to design the stage for the dedication of the Port of Catoosa, for which he coordinated with the staff of President Nixon, who attended.
Although he eventually sold his interest in the firm, Knowles remained a "partner in spirit," BKL principal and architect Kim Reeves said, adding that Knowles was proud of the firm's direction as it branched out further into government facilities.
"He was well-known for being the keeper of the budget on projects," Reeves said. "Often, late in the project, he would pull out a poster board that he had prepared at the beginning to compare it with the final project cost. He was almost always on target."
Knowles was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher. He was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
Knowles is survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings; and eight grandchildren.
Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
KNOWLES, Bill Claude, 79, passed away Tuesday, February 5, 2013 in Tulsa, OK. Born December 29, 1933 in McKinney, TX to William Claude and Annie Ruth (Akin) Knowles. He grew up in Muskogee, OK.
Graduate of Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971. He was a distinguished architect designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state.
Lifelong member of Church of Christ where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher and was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
His lifelong dream was his 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties.
Survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings, and eight grandchildren. Services were held Saturday, 2/9/2013 at 11:00 A.M., Park Plaza Church of Christ-Tulsa. Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233
[Billy was preceded in death by his first wife, Shirley M. Knowles.]
As published in the Tulsa World on February 7, 2013:
Tulsa Jail architect Billy Knowles dies at 79
By TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer
published: Thursday, 2-7-13
Given his day job, it was only natural that Billy Knowles aspired to a life without walls.
And the distinguished architect - designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state - knew exactly where to find it: at his ranch in Wagoner County.
The 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties had been a longtime dream, his wife, Marcy Knowles, said.
"He cleared it and built it himself and built us a home there," she said, adding that if he wasn't at his office or at church, that's where you'd likely find him.
Not that there was any danger of the architect retreating there full time. Her husband, pushing 80, was just not the retiring kind.
"Retirement? Oh my goodness no. Not Billy," Knowles said. "He was still devoted to his firm, to his projects."
Billy Claude Knowles, former chief architect and partner of Tulsa-based BKL Inc., died Tuesday. He was 79.
A visitation is planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Moore's Southlawn Funeral Home. A funeral service is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Park Plaza Church of Christ.
Although Knowles was involved in various kinds of projects through BKL, it was in building a better jail that he made his reputation.
He did his first corrections facilities in the early 1970s with projects in Hominy and Lexington and was involved soon after in improvements at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester in the wake of riots there in 1973.
With the city and county jails that followed, Knowles often was designing state-of-the-art replacements for old facilities, many of which dated to the first three decades after statehood.
The $72 million Tulsa Jail, officially the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, was completed in 1999 and received multiple architecture awards and mention in magazine articles.
A native of McKinney, Texas, Knowles grew up in Muskogee. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971.
One of his first projects was to design the stage for the dedication of the Port of Catoosa, for which he coordinated with the staff of President Nixon, who attended.
Although he eventually sold his interest in the firm, Knowles remained a "partner in spirit," BKL principal and architect Kim Reeves said, adding that Knowles was proud of the firm's direction as it branched out further into government facilities.
"He was well-known for being the keeper of the budget on projects," Reeves said. "Often, late in the project, he would pull out a poster board that he had prepared at the beginning to compare it with the final project cost. He was almost always on target."
Knowles was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher. He was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
Knowles is survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings; and eight grandchildren.
Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
Graduate of Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971. He was a distinguished architect designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state.
Lifelong member of Church of Christ where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher and was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
His lifelong dream was his 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties.
Survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings, and eight grandchildren. Services were held Saturday, 2/9/2013 at 11:00 A.M., Park Plaza Church of Christ-Tulsa. Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233
[Billy was preceded in death by his first wife, Shirley M. Knowles.]
As published in the Tulsa World on February 7, 2013:
Tulsa Jail architect Billy Knowles dies at 79
By TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer
published: Thursday, 2-7-13
Given his day job, it was only natural that Billy Knowles aspired to a life without walls.
And the distinguished architect - designer of the Tulsa Jail and other corrections facilities around the state - knew exactly where to find it: at his ranch in Wagoner County.
The 120-acre spread where he raised cattle and hosted parties had been a longtime dream, his wife, Marcy Knowles, said.
"He cleared it and built it himself and built us a home there," she said, adding that if he wasn't at his office or at church, that's where you'd likely find him.
Not that there was any danger of the architect retreating there full time. Her husband, pushing 80, was just not the retiring kind.
"Retirement? Oh my goodness no. Not Billy," Knowles said. "He was still devoted to his firm, to his projects."
Billy Claude Knowles, former chief architect and partner of Tulsa-based BKL Inc., died Tuesday. He was 79.
A visitation is planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Moore's Southlawn Funeral Home. A funeral service is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Park Plaza Church of Christ.
Although Knowles was involved in various kinds of projects through BKL, it was in building a better jail that he made his reputation.
He did his first corrections facilities in the early 1970s with projects in Hominy and Lexington and was involved soon after in improvements at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester in the wake of riots there in 1973.
With the city and county jails that followed, Knowles often was designing state-of-the-art replacements for old facilities, many of which dated to the first three decades after statehood.
The $72 million Tulsa Jail, officially the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, was completed in 1999 and received multiple architecture awards and mention in magazine articles.
A native of McKinney, Texas, Knowles grew up in Muskogee. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with an architecture degree and worked for 11 years with Honn & Associates in Tulsa before joining what is now BKL in 1969 to start the firm's architecture division. He became a partner in 1971.
One of his first projects was to design the stage for the dedication of the Port of Catoosa, for which he coordinated with the staff of President Nixon, who attended.
Although he eventually sold his interest in the firm, Knowles remained a "partner in spirit," BKL principal and architect Kim Reeves said, adding that Knowles was proud of the firm's direction as it branched out further into government facilities.
"He was well-known for being the keeper of the budget on projects," Reeves said. "Often, late in the project, he would pull out a poster board that he had prepared at the beginning to compare it with the final project cost. He was almost always on target."
Knowles was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher. He was a founding member of the Church of Christ-affiliated Tulsa Christian Foundation.
Knowles is survived by his wife, Marcy Knowles; two daughters, Nancy Olson and Susan Smith; two stepchildren; two siblings; and eight grandchildren.
Friends are contributing to the Park Plaza Church of Christ missions fund.
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