William Delos Knight

William D. Knight, beloved teacher, brilliant concert pianist and quintessential Southern gentleman, passed away at the age of 91 at Brookdale Senior Living in Rome, Georgia, on August 20, 2020.

For more than 50 years, Bill taught and mentored scores of piano students at Shorter College in Rome, alongside his talented wife of 61 years, Mary Ann. An exacting but devoted teacher, Bill expected his students to be prepared, focused and disciplined. At the same time, he inspired them to reach new heights; to be passionate and find joy and meaning in the music of the great composers.

Bill was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, on January 24, 1929, to D.O. and Tressye Knight. His remarkable talent was evident at an early age when he began taking piano lessons. In 1939, the family moved to the historic lowcountry community of Georgetown, South Carolina, where Bill and his older sister Lynn came of age in the midst of colorful, larger-than-life characters.

After graduating from high school in 1946, Bill moved to Atlanta to study piano with Powell Everhart. Bill then left the South to attend Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. Drafted during the Korean War, he left Oberlin to serve in the Signal Corps. He later returned to Oberlin, where he met his soul mate, Mary Ann Melfi. They married in 1955 and welcomed their first son, Kevin, after Bill graduated in 1956. Bill later earned a master’s degree from Louisiana State University. A second son, Timothy, was born in 1963—the same year Bill joined the faculty at Shorter College, where he eventually became a tenured professor of music. Mary Ann joined the Shorter faculty in 1965.

In addition to teaching at Shorter, Bill frequently performed concerts, most notably at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1964. Although he had offers to tour nationally, life on the road didn’t appeal to Bill. Instead, he and Mary Ann built a life in Rome centered around music, family and teaching. He also taught privately and served as a judge at music competitions across the southeast. He and Mary Ann regularly led workshops and often performed together. In 2002, Shorter College established the William and Mary Ann Knight Performance Competition, providing endowed scholarships to two deserving students, to honor the outstanding accomplishments of the husband-and-wife duo. Seven years later, Bill and Mary Ann were named the Georgia Music Teacher Association Teachers of the Year. They were subsequently named the 2010 National Teachers of the Year by the Music Teachers National Association, which includes more than 24,000 independent and collegiate music teachers in all 50 states.

Bill was warm, tenderhearted and generous. He was also quick-witted, a voracious reader and a born storyteller, who could have easily performed a one-man show, sharing stories about his childhood in Georgetown. Widely admired as gracious hosts, Bill and Mary Ann regularly opened their home to their students and frequently hosted festive gatherings for students, family and friends.

Bill was predeceased by his wife, parents and sister. He is survived by his two sons: Kevin (Jane) of Woodstock, Georgia, and Timothy of Los Angeles, California; brother-in-law Frank C. Melfi (Mary Ann Wicks) of Albuquerque, New Mexico; niece Carole Lamar (Charlie) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Thanks to special caregiver, Alicia Apthorpe, his other sitters, the staff at Brookdale Senior Living, and Heyman Hospice Care at Floyd Medical Center.