Meticulous Problem Solver Takes Home Hobart Award
January 29, 2021
- Author
- Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis
He鈥檚 the guy behind the controls, the one who makes sure dorm rooms and classrooms are warm during winter鈥檚 coldest days, and cool through August scorchers.
For Mark Knox, it鈥檚 all about efficiency鈥攎aking sure all systems work and catching potential problems before they happen.
His co-workers and boss say his close attention to the details of 皇家华人鈥檚 inner workings made the Physical Plant technician stand out especially during the past year鈥檚 COVID-19 challenges.
That鈥檚 involved measures such as making sure more outside air is coming into buildings and closely monitoring circulation to prevent the spread of the virus.
Knox, an energy management technician who鈥檚 held many positions during his nearly 30 years at 皇家华人, has received the college鈥檚 Hobart Award for 2020.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 a temperature reading too high in the north wing of Chambers, Mark will see it, and send someone there to check it out, or go himself,鈥 said David Holthouser, director of facilities and engineering. 鈥淢ark is an excellent diagnostician and problem solver. He鈥檚 extremely logical and strategic. He doesn鈥檛 just go for the quick fix, he goes back to the foundation to see exactly where and how the problem started."
鈥淗e鈥檚 also taken on a real mentoring role to help other techs understand how things work.鈥
The $1,000 award honors the late Frank Donald Hobart, who served for nearly 35 years as the college鈥檚 buildings and grounds supervisor. His son, John Donald Hobart 鈥51 established the annual award to recognize a Physical Plant staff member for dedication, loyalty, cooperation, patience and mentoring.
Knox operates and programs the college鈥檚 energy management control system. He鈥檚 helped to keep campus heating and cooling costs down through his expertise in the college鈥檚 energy efficient system and measures, Holthouser said.
鈥淗e ensures that everything is operating properly,鈥 Holthouser said. 鈥淓verything will be meticulously combed through by Mark. He does all of this flawlessly.鈥