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KENNEDY--BURIAL DETAIL
First Lt. Samuel Richard Bird, class of 1961, played a prominent role in President Kennedy's funeral. He was the Officer in charge of the Joint Services Casket Team. They were in charge of the security of the casket and for placing and removing it from the catafalque in the grand rotunda of the Capitol. (Source: Alumni News, Fall 1963, p. 18.) Samuel Bird later became a hero in his own right. Click Bird.
KENNEDY, JOHN T.
22 July, 1885 - 26 Sept. 1969. The only Citadel cadet who ever received the Medal of Honor. He attended The Citadel as a freshman in 1903-1904, then transferred to West Point where he graduated, in 1908. Nonetheless, he was a member of the Class of 1907 and also a member of the Association of Citadel Men. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1909, in the Philippines Campaign. (Sources: Medal of Honor, Ref. UB433 A52, pp. 248-249; Register of Graduates, U.S. Military Academy, Ref. U410 H35, #4684.)
KINARD, JAMES P.
Class of 1886. President of Winthrop College, 1929-1934. He joined Winthrop faculty in 1895 as a professor of English and History. In 1913 he taught at The Citadel. (Obituary: New York Times, June 2, 1951, p. 17, col. 5.)
KNOB KNOWLEDGE
Knobs--4th classmen--have always had to pop off at mess. Originally they could be asked any question. They would come over to the library to find the answer. Later, in the 1970's, the questions were limited to facts pertaining The Citadel in some way. Since the same questions were asked from year to year the librarians kept a box of 3 x 5 cards with the answers. This later was put in paper format and in 1976 it was put on the computer. It has expanded to include all sorts of Citadel lore and history. Tenatively, a question could be asked about any of the topics, but most of the information will never be asked by knobs. It will be asked by administrators and others. Alumni appear to read it thoroughly and even people who have no connection with The Citadel keep sending comments. At mess, the answering and asking of questions was at one time called, "stump the stars." Today, Knob Knowledge is restricted to what can be found under "M. Fourth Class Knowledge" in the The Fourth Class Knowledge Manual. The Knob Knowledge file on the Daniel Library Web site was originally created by LTC Herbert T. Nath. See: NATH, HERBERT THOMAS.
KNOBS--RANK
"What do Plebes(Knobs)Outrank? Sir/Ma'am, the President's cat, the Commandant's dog, and all the captains at VMI, Sir/Ma'am." (Source: Guidon, 1998-99, p.74.) [Although The Guidon, 1998-99 uses the term "Plebes." The fourth classmen at the U.S. Naval Academy and at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy are called "plebes." For many years freshman cadets at The Citadel were called "Plebes." At the time of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, many cadets began to get very short haircuts, partly in reaction to the long hair worn by many male students in other American colleges. The short, almost shaven, heads gave rise to the nickname "Knobs"--which replaced "Plebes" as the designation for freshmen. [Source: Alex Macaulay, "'An Oasis of Order': The Citadel, the 1960s, and the Vietnam Antiwar Movement," Southern Cultures vol. 11, no. 3 (2005): 44-45] (HN & DH)
KOGAN COLLECTION OF MILITARY MINIATURES
Donated by Dr. Michael S. Kogan, Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Montclair State University, Montclair. New Jersey. It was donated in honor of his forebears: Harris Levin, 2nd Virginia Rifles,CSA, and Moses Winstock, Orr's Rifles, CSA. It is housed in the Insel Display Cases for Military Miniature, located in the Daniel Library. The collection consists of four magnificent displays:
    Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863
    General Robert E. Lee inspects the defenses of Charleston, 1861, that includes Citadel cadets carrying the S.C. sovereignty flag.
    Charleston Light Dragoons
    McClellan's Zouaves, CSA (Charleston)
    Washington Light Infantry, CSA (Charleston)
    Orr's Rifles, CSA (Abbeville)
    Hampton's Legion, CSA
    Charleston Zouave Cadets,CSA
    Palmetto Sharpshooters,CSA
Battle of Cowpens, January 17, 1781
Battle of Concord, April 19, 1775
KOREAN WAR
Some 1500 graduates were on active duty during the Korean Conflict, 450 of whom were in combat. 32 of these gave their lives. Virtually all graduates on active duty have been commissioned officers. First graduate killed in Korea: Wesley Hartwell Johnson, class of 1948. He was killed 27 July 1950. click: Wesley H. Johnson
KOVÁTS, COL. COM. MICHAEL
1724-1779. Colonel Commandant Michael (Mihály) Kováts de Fabriczy was born in Hungary in 1724, and came to the American colonies. His name is sometimes spelled Kowats. During the American Revolution he served for two years under Washington. Washington appointed him exercise master of dragoons in January 1778. In April 1778 he was appointed one of the colonel commandants in the Pulaski Legion. He was killed in the battle of Charleston, S.C., 11 May 1779. He is believed to be buried near the intersection of King St. and Huger St. a few blocks from the campus. The Citadel's Kovats Field is named after him. The Kovats monument is a large stone with a brass plaque. General Clark had it erected. It is located on Kovats field near the tennis courts. In 2003 a statue of Kováts was dedicated at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C. The city of Karcag, Hungary, where Kováts was born, has an annual festival in his honor. (Sources: News & Courier March 13, 1954, P. 3; May 9, 1954, p. 8A; May 27, 1955, p. 4B; November 7, 1959, p. 1B; Peter Nagy-Farkas, "Hungarians," Historical Journal of Western Massachusetts, 1976, pp. 37-38; Remarks of Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Oct. 11, 2003, http://www.defenselilnk.mil/speeches/sp20031011-depsecdefp562.html, accessed March 4, 2005;communication from COL Theodore J. Crackel, U.S.A. Ret.,Professor and Editor in Chief, Papers of George Washington, University of Virginia, Feb. 24, 2005) (HN & DH)
KRAUSE, L. WILLIAM ("BILL")
Class of 1963. Computer innovator and entrepreneur. He started working for Hewlett-Packard in 1974. From 1979 to 1981 he was the head of its personal computer operation. During this time he saw it develop into a billion dollar business. In 1981 he teamed with Bob Metcalfe, the inventor of Ethernet, to form 3Com, a leader in the development of the Internet. In 1993, he retired as CEO of 3Com to become CEO of Storm Technology, a leader in scanners for personal computers. President and CEO of Casppian Networks, Inc, an IP networking systems provider. He has been a generous benefactor of The Citadel. [Source: CDR Bruce E. Williams, "Bill Krause, '63: Engineering the Building of Businesses," Citadel Magazine, vol. 1, no. 1 (fall 1998), pp. 24-27. PRIOLEAU ROOM U430 .C5 A823] To see the complete article click Bill Krause. (HN)

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