George W. Knox, 1933
B.A., Denison University
M.A., Ph.D. (Optometry), The Ohio State University
Ph.D. (Psychology), The Ohio State University
Practicing Psychologist
Columbus, Ohio
Citation awarded June, 2003
At 92, George W. Knox is Ohio’s longest-practicing psychologist. In the Columbus area, he is referred to as the father of hypnotherapy, which he uses in the treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, and stress. Practicing since 1939, he continues to maintain a caseload of more than 20 patients.
During World War II, George served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. The Navy utilized his dual-degree training by assigning him to recognition- and lookout-training programs. He became the director of curriculum of all Naval optical repair schools and authored two textbooks in this field. After the war, he returned to Ohio where he took part in the Renshaw Recognition Program, a visual system of identifying both friendly and enemy aircraft, subsequently adopted worldwide by the Navy.
George subscribes to what he calls the “lifestyle triple-threat approach” to life extension—plenty of exercise, a nutritious diet, and a belief in the power of a positive frame of mind. After suffering a heart attack at age 55, he began running and advanced to marathon races. Since then, he has accumulated a multitude of trophies and records for running and race-walking. His four favorite awards? A silver cup awarded him by Sports Illustrated, a bronzed running shoe presented to him by former Ohio governor, the late James Rhodes, a letter jacket presented to him in 1983 on the occasion of his 50th Reunion at Denison, and the award for a 100-kilometer run in which he set a national age record and beat all age groups just four days before turning 70. Never one to rest on his laurels, in February 2002 he climbed the 40 stories of the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus three times for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, an event in which he has participated for more than 20 years.
In mid-September 2002, George traveled on an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. as Ohio’s Outstanding Older Worker, representing the state at the Prime Time Awards sponsored by Experience Works, a national, nonprofit organization that provides training and employment services for mature workers.
