Janet Greig Post Leadership Society

The Janet Greig Post Leadership Society, named after one of Knox's most generous and steadfast alumni,  recognizes donors who give $10,000 or more annually to Knox.

Janet Greig Post came to Knox College as a first-year student in 1890 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in literature in 1894. She was well traveled, and after graduate work in Europe, she returned to Knox as a German instructor in 1896 and, the following year, was appointed dean of women.

In 1902, she married Phillip Sydney Post, Class of 1887, general counsel for Chicago-based International Harvester and member of the Knox Board of Trustees. While in Chicago, Post was involved in many philanthropic organizations, including the Elizabeth McCormick Memorial Fund for the Betterment of Child Life, the Harriet McCormick YWCA, the Chicago Association of University Women, and the Illinois Training School for Nurses, to name a few.

Post assumed her husband's position on the Knox College Board of Trustees after his death in 1920, and she was considered a powerful member of that group. She was such an active Knox alumna that students attending the weekly (compulsory) service at Beecher Chapel had been known to "praise Father, Son, and Mrs. Post." She maintained her seat on the Board until her death in 1964.

Post worked tirelessly to raise the funds necessary to restore Old Main. She knew how to talk to people and to recruit their assistance. "Little drops of water do make a mighty ocean," she would say. Post wrote thousands of letters to alumni, friends, and donors and hundreds of notes of appreciation during her crusade. The campaign was "Post" marked only after more than 8,500 letters were written.

Old Main, which stands today central to the campus, is the pride of Knox College and is on the National Register of Historic Places. At the north entrance of the building, a bronze tablet marks the Centenary celebration. On it a quote from Post states, "Old Main, rededicated to youth, stands as a symbol of the permanence of Knox College and of its faith in the future."