Historic Hood River
To Serve Man
1-10-2020
Notes
No, you didn’t click on the wrong website. This is still Historic Hood River, but this story is a little different than our usual fare.
How many of you remember a 1962 episode of the original Twilight Zone TV series entitled “To Serve Man?” It was based on a short story from 1950 by Damon Knight. Why are we reading about this here? It turns out Damon Knight grew up in Hood River.
L.E.
Wow! Cool information. While reading about Damon, click on the link about his wife Kate Wilhelm.
It will be interesting to see if we get any posters here who knew Mr. Knight.
nels
Arthur, is there any chance you can access high school records of a deceased
graduate? Would be interesting to get any little snippets of information.
Would have gone to WyEast HS? Maybe lead to his parents' address and
other information.
nels
Arthur, hope you will get a night time shot of the hotel with it's myriad lights –
more than in the picture submitted. Rather a tribute to her mother and the spirit
she put in to it every year.
ArthurB
Despite what they say about putting things in your “permanent record” I don't believe the school district saves student records forever. We have a few interesting artifacts from long-gone schools listing things like attendance and outside visitors, but that's the exception rather than the rule.
nels
Maybe some of our very capable sleuths will take the bait for this mystery.
L.E.
Damon Knight was born to Fredrick S Knight and Leola Damon Knight. His parents were married in 1917 in Oregon. In 1920 they are living in The Dalles. Mr. Knight is a principal. In 1925 they are in Baker City, Oregon where he is principal. In 1930 they are living at 803 Columbia St. Hood River and Mr. Knight is a principal. Fred Knight passed away in Hood River in 1945 and Leola Knight passed away in Hood River in 1958.
Gladys
Damon Francis Knight was born on 22 September 1922, in Baker, so he would have graduated from Hood River High School, as Wy'east didn't start until 1952. He died on 15 April 2002 in Eugene.
nels
Knew a delightful young man who was SEVERE dyslexic. But his father was a superintendent of schools and his mother was an English teacher. Oh me oh my, talk about a mismatch. But he had a famous uncle in Hollywood who funded his going to special schools and college and idyllic summers on the lakes of the NE.
He had a nonstop personality though and everybody wanted to be his friend.
In working with such young people and having one of my own, I have always had a soft spot in my heart and have advocated for them in school. For every handicap one has, there is a strong suite to counterbalance. Just play to the strong suite.
He is now happily married. and employed and has a delightful family.
nels
To finish the thought, I wonder if Damon Knight was one such student, sitting in class under the pressure of his father being the superintendent, but drawing space crafts and such fantasies. But so strong that his talent prevailed as well.
jeanie senior
I have this very vague recollection that Damon Knight's father was known as Fuzzy Knight. Came out of the depths of my memory when I saw this. About a million years ago I worked at the Hood River News and the Yesteryears column was part of my job–maybe there?
Barbara Parsons
At Hood River High in about 1956 or 57, I
Found the name Damon Knight in the back files of the Guide, the student newspaper. i RECOGNIZEDMIT FROM THE SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS I CHECKED OUT OF TH4 HOOD RIVER LIBRARY. IN THE SAME OLD PAPERS DAMON's father was often mentioned as principal.
JEC
My Uncle, Scott Griffith, attended HRHS in the 1930's. He once told me that F.S.Knight's nickname was “Fairly Stormy”.
I once asked Louise Keinholz about Damon, she said he was always doodling cartoons in the margins of his schoolwork; she thought he would end up in Hollywood as an animator for Walt Disney.
If anyone would like to read the story “To Serve Man”, it is available for free on the Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/galaxymagazine-1950-11/page/n91/mode/2up