Classmates, Charles F. Knight'57 and Albert E. Suter'57, have passed; Chuck on September 12 and Al on June 29. They met at Cornell on the gridiron, members of the Big Red Football team. Both were Mechanical Engineers, earned Cornell MBA's, and invested the bulk of their professional careers leading Emerson Electric. Chuck emerged as Emerson CEO at age 37, becoming the youngest CEO in America to head a billion-dollar corporation. A couple of years later, Chuck invited Al to the team, and two years later, world champion oarsman, and classmate Bob Staley'57 was hired to fill a key executive position at Emerson. The former Big Red athletes and classmates guided Emerson in various roles for 30 plus years and helped build the company into the $40 billion behemoth it is today. During their tenure, they were able to keep alive Emerson's remarkable streak of 43 years of increased earnings, making Emerson the darling of Wall Street.
In 2006, Cornell University completed the magnificent renovation of Schoellkopf Memorial Hall and the construction of its annex, Friends Hall. Friends Hall houses the football team's Hanaka Locker-Room, the Robison Hall of Fame Room, and the Tradition Room. Chuck and Al were two of the key benefactors to provide funding for the project. The lead donor was their great friend Dick Loynd `50. Joining them, and rounding out the five friends naming the hall, were Bob Staley and Lou Conti `41. Lou and Dick were long-time members of Emerson's board and also Big Red Football players. Lou passed in November 2014.
The plaque that hangs in Friends Hall commemorating their friendship reads…
FRIENDS HALL
A
CORNELL ATHLETIC TRADITION
To gain a great education, an understanding
of the thrill of competition, a solid grasp of
what teamwork can accomplish and relationships that last a lifetime.
Five friends who share that experience have made a major gift to help preserve that
opportunity for all who come to Cornell.
Lou Conti `41
Chuck Knight `57
Dick Loynd `50
Al Suter `57
Bob Staley `57
Cornell University Director of Athletics & Physical Education,
Andy Noel, and the Big Red Athletics community extend heartfelt condolences to the Knight and Suter families. Noel said, "… Chuck and Al's legacy is profound and will not be forgotten. It is an honor to have individuals like these five special friends be a continuing lynch-pin of our athletics family. They are extraordinary models of what participation in intercollegiate athletics and a world-class education can provide student athletes."
