Wilma Jones Knox

Wilma Jones Knox Ph.D., age 81 of Biloxi died Saturday April 9, 2011 in Biloxi. Dr. Knox came to Mississippi as a bride in 1956. She has lived in Harrison County ever since (with the exception of two years in Sheridan, WY) Raised in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, she received her B.A. (1951) and M.A. (1954) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She became an intern in the Psychology Service at the Gulfport-Biloxi Veterans Administration Medical Center and joined the staff after receiving a Ph.D. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University in 1958. During the next forty years she did clinical work in every area of the Center and also devised research projects which she could complete as time became available. In honor of her research she became a Fellow in the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association. When Dr. Knox began her research in alcoholism, the literature was largely limited to personal opinions of professionals enduring alcoholism as "a disease." She collected articles that included objective data into three reviews covering a six year period. With the cooperation of VA Central Office she carried out large scale (400 or more participants in each group) studies of attitudes toward alcoholism and drug abuse of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and administrative personnel in the VA. The psychologists and psychiatrists selected symptom complex and behavior disorder most frequently as appropriate definitions for alcoholism; only one-third selected "disease". They considered prognosis poor but nevertheless group therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics anonymous were seen as appropriate treatments. Dr. Knox's work on attitudes was incorporated in a textbook chapter in addition to another chapter on testing for the effects of alcoholism. Previously she had read a glowing review of a French publication on testing for evidence of alcoholism as major factor in railroad accidents. She translated the work, and it was made available to 1500 U.S. psychologists in an experimental publication program of the American Psychological Association. Their conclusion that psychomotor deterioration (rather than verbal abilities) was the major impairment became widely accepted. Dr. Knox co-authored several studies which confirmed deterioration of psychomotor skills. Dr. Knox also used Reitan tests of neuropsychological functioning with veteran patients and evaluated the accuracy of psychological evaluations in previous years through a review of long-term VA medical records. A study of importance was "Completing the Ph.D. in Psychology," a comparison of demographic factors that resulted in a timely completion of the advanced degree. Dr. Knox received several awards for her work as legislative chairman of the local state Mental Heath Associations in the lengthy and eventually successful campaign to obtain state funds for community mental health clinics. She was named woman of the year by the Business and Professional Women's organization. Since her retirement Dr. Knox has traveled the world and published three murder mysteries: The Biloxi Witness, The Biloxi Gambler, and The Biloxi Traveler. Dr. Knox was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Jones and Helen Cahill Jones, a sister, Shirley J. Buckles. Survivors include two nephews; Robert (Susan) Buckles and Richard Buckles; two great nieces; Kara (Sean) Brown and Dana Buckles, two great nephews; Cory Buckles, Ryan (Jeni) Buckles and three great great-nephews. A celebration of life is being planned for a later date. Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home , 15th street, Gulfport is in charge of arrangements. View and Sign register book at www.bradfordokeefe.com