Knox Donates Major Gift to SMU Law School
A $1.5 million gift from Highland Park resident Jack D. Knox to his alma mater will establish a new endowed professorship at the SMU Dedman School of Law.
The Jack Knox Chair in the Rights and Protection of Children will support teaching, researching, and publishing about legal issues related to protecting the welfare and legal rights of children.
Knox received a bachelor’s degree from SMU in 1960 and a Juris Doctor from the Dedman School in 1963. He was honored with the law school’s Robert G. Storey Award for Distinguished Achievement in 2011.
“It’s an honor to help my alma mater empower the next generation of legal professionals by providing them with a strong understanding of what the issues are and the knowledge and drive to develop better laws and policies to protect children’s welfare and rights,” Knox said.
Knox is the owner of Cafe Pacific Restaurants Inc., the parent company of the mainstay restaurant in Highland Park Village.
He also is general partner of the private investment group that oversees the real-estate assets for Six Flags Over Texas, and is president and chairman of Sixx Holdings Inc., which he founded in 1988 to operate Patrizio’s restaurants, which he sold in 2006.
Knox has been active in the ranching business and the energy industry, and has been a longtime proponent of nonprofit causes that advocate for children in need.
