Dr. Knowles Dougherty, 82, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, passed away, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, in his home.

Knowles was born June 28, 1934, in Austin, Minnesota, to Richard and Harriet (Cathcart) Dougherty. He graduated from Austin High School in 1952, where he ran Track and Cross Country. He went on to run at University of Colorado–Boulder and at Swarthmore College. After graduating from Swarthmore College in 1956, he joined the American Friends Service, a Quaker organization devoted to service, development, and peace programs throughout the world to overcome violence and injustice. He served for four years in Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador. He later obtained his Masters Degree in Mathematics from University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1962 and a Ph.D. in Education from Harvard in 1968.

On June 5, 1965, he married the former Darlene May Vertrees of St. Louis, Missouri. Knowles was pleased to gain a son, James Vertrees, on that same day.

Knowles’ interest in alternative education led him and his wife to found The Warehouse Cooperative School, an alternative school (K-12) which flourished in Boston, Massachusetts from 1969 to 1975. The family moved to Missouri in 1975, where Knowles worked as a teacher, a farmer, and finally as a publisher. He published many books on many different subjects. His lifelong interest in running led him to publish the Cross Country Journal, a publication for Cross Country runners and coaches at both the high school and college levels for nearly 35 years. Knowles had a healthy intellectual curiosity and love of learning. He enjoyed teaching and attending many courses at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Knowles is survived by his committed partner, Veryl Andre; his step son, James Vertrees and his wife Nicole of Little Elm, Texas; his daughter, Elizabeth Kelly and her husband Michael of Apple Valley, Minnesota; three grandchildren, Sean Kelly, Dylan Kelly and Miracle Vertrees; his sisters, Martha Dougherty and Melissa Ruof and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Harriet Dougherty.