Published by The Evansville Courier

He scolded bad drivers and spotlighted corruption. He poked fun at current events, boosted the community when things were bad, and alarmed the public to issues that affected their health.

Knecht pressed many an issue in his 54 years with the newspaper. During wartimes he caricatured national leaders and commented on world politics. During campaigns and elections, he depicted local and national figures as he saw them, making observations on what they stood for. "Mr. Public," a character he created in 1910, became a running trademark for Knecht's political cartoons.

Though he told it like he saw it, Knecht was known to be fair-minded. Racism was absent from his drawings at a time when it was common and accepted in newspapers across the country. Knecht was more a man who rallied for right.

Fund drives for the Red Cross, American Heart Association, Evansville College and many others were punched up during his career. He pushed for highway and air travel development, applauded the city's economic growth, and for many years, urged the construction of the Henderson-Evansville bridge.

He warned and informed readers about epidemics of typhoid, flu and polio, and devoted many drawings to children's health issues. The Courier Christmas Party for Poor Children was one of Knecht's pet projects for decades. During three wars, he encouraged the community and led drives that supported America's troops.

"Knecht was a generous man many ways. He gave a lot of his personal time to causes that he believed in," Dr. Philip Ensley, professor of history at the University of Evansville said. "His high visibility in the newspaper - and as an individual - went far beyond Evansville. Knecht came to represent Evansville to the outside world. In his way, he put this city on the map."

Knecht was generous with his original drawings, as well - he gave away thousands of them. An original recently was seen on display in the museum at the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Kan. In 1962 (two years after retirement), Knecht gave his remaining original cartoons - an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 - to Evansville College (now the University of Evansville).