Bill Knecht to Leave Lycoming Reporter Post

Gary Weber to become Editor July 1

Thirty-four years!

In 1977, Jimmy Carter became President,  Karl Baldys and George Lepley joined the Lycoming Bar and Bill Knecht became Editor of the Lycoming Reporter.  Carter's career ended early, but Bill Knecht continued to serve the Reporter and the attorneys of Lycoming County, continuously, ever since.

That 34 year tenure is about to end as Knecht has decided to retire from the practice of law and move to North Carolina.  His last Reporter is the June 24, 2011 issue.  This will bring to a conclusion a career that extended for longer than that of any past Editor, and indeed, for longer than all other Editors combined.  Judge Muir founded the Reporter in 1946 and served as the Editor for nearly 20 years after the Reporter became the official legal journal of Lycoming County in 1949.  Bill Nichols had the next longest tenure of 8 years.

For most of his tenure, Bill Knecht worked with Annabel Miller, the long-time business manager of the Reporter.  Of course, in the early days of the Reporter, advertisements and billing was manually prepared, and items for printing were mailed to the publisher, with most of the labor being performed by Annabel.  He spoke highly of her dedication to the Reporter when Annabel was honored by the Association in 2005.

These days, computerized billing programs, word processing and email lighten the load a bit.  In 2004, Jessica Engel took on the Lycoming Reporter management as part of her Executive Director responsibilities.  Bill thanked Jessica "for how easy she has made my life over the last 7 years."

Knecht's service demonstrated steady and careful management.  He comments that "the Reporter has served the Association's members and citizenry of Lycoming County well and has been a tremendous financial resource for the LLA and its members."  Indeed, the Reporter provides the primary financial support for the Association's programs - it pays staff salary, subsidizes social events and has been the source of funds for multiple contributions to the LLA Foundation over the past several years.

Bill Knecht's dedication to the local bar has extended far beyond his service as Reporter Editor.  He has served as an unofficial member of the Executive Committee since 1977 and as an official member of the Committee between 1991 and 1996.  He was LLA President in 1995.  He has participated as a dedicated member of many committees, including Customs and Rules and Strategic Planning.  He as served on the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates since 2000.

What does Bill see in his future?  He has a vision of himself sitting on his deck, looking out at the intercoastal waterway.  Ah yes - a well deserved rest.

The business of the Lycoming Reporter marches on.  At its June meeting, the LLA Executive Committee appointed Gary Weber to the Editor position, effective July 1, 2011.  Weber has served as headnote editor since the 1980's, and since the LLA began to publish all court opinions on the Lycolaw Website in 2000, has been responsible for all opinion summaries.