USD 249 Frontenac Schools Hall of Fame
J.T. Knoll
Inducted 2025
JT Knoll is a 1967 graduate of Frontenac High School. While at Frontenac, he was the lead in the junior-senior plays, sang in Glee Club, competed on the forensics team, and served as a class officer. JT was also a starting football player, serving as both offensive tackle and defensive linebacker. He was a proud member of the undefeated 1966 team, coached by Hall of Fame coach John Spigarelli. At graduation, he received the “I Dare You” Award and was later selected as a Frontenac High School Outstanding Alumnus.
After graduation, JT attended Pittsburg State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Counseling Psychology. He served as a teacher, counselor, and advisor at Pittsburg State and established Gorillas In Your Midst, a nationally recognized peer health education group. For these efforts, he received the National Outstanding Advisor Award. He also played a key role in launching the Safe Ride Program with Safehouse and in providing the first sexual assault counselor on campus.
JT has been a columnist for The Morning Sun for 30 years. His columns often highlight Frontenac history and the mining heritage of Southeast Kansas. An accomplished writer of books and poetry, he has received numerous honors, including the Kansas Press Association’s First Place Award of Excellence for True Stories. His published works include Paperboy, Where the Pavement Ends, and three albums of original poems and songs. JT was also selected by Thomas Fox Averill to appear in Kansas Matters: 21st Century Writers on the Sunflower State.
In addition to his writing, JT originated, directed, and acted in Miner’s Hall Opera House and has been a coordinator and performer for 40 years at the Folklife Stage in Lincoln Park during the Little Balkans Festival. Most recently, he and his wife, Linda, have served on the committee for the Miner’s Memorial Park in Pittsburg. JT also serves on the Heritage Hall Committee for the new Frontenac Public Library.