Martin Perry Knowlton (July 30, 1920 – March 12, 2009) was the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

co-founder of Elderhostel, a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

established in 1975 that allows senior citizens to travel and take educational programs in the United States and around the world.

Early life and education

Knowlton was born in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas, on July 30, 1920.Nelson, Valerie J
"Martin P. 'Marty' Knowlton dies at 88; co-founder of Elderhostel"
''

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'', March 18, 2009. In 1940, he left college to join the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...

, where he served in southwest Asia as an ambulance driver and was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. He joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in 1942 and served as a medic in the

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and was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

.Grimes, William
"Martin Knowlton, Co-Founder of Elderhostel, Is Dead at 88"
''

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'', March 17, 2009. Accessed March 17, 2009. Following the completion of his military service, Knowlton attended Birmingham-Southern College, where he was awarded a degree in history in 1946. He earned a master's degree in 1949 at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, where he majored in political science, and later served on the school's faculty. He worked at a number of firms in Maine after graduation and returned to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

for further graduate education. He was a teacher at high schools, including at

Brookline High School Brookline High School is a four-year public high school in Brookline, Massachusetts. It is a part of Public Schools of Brookline. As of the 2023–24 school year, 2117 students were enrolled in the high school, served by 191.8 teachers (on an ...

, where he coached the school's chess team to the 1970 national championship.

Elderhostel

Knowlton ran the American Youth Hostels program at the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

, where he envisioned a program that would combine the features of

youth hostels A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixed ...

with the adult folk school programs he had seen while backpacking through Europe. David Bianco, who supervised the dormitory and dining programs at UNH and had hired Knowlton to run the hostel based on their connections at

, brainstormed about the concept. "Elder hostel" came out as a name, after Bianco saw self-described hippie Knowlton with his white beard sitting under a sign saying "youth hostel". The two devised a program in which people above age 55 could take summer courses while staying in dormitories for a low price. Knowlton described the program's purpose as erasing "the disturbing concept that people are all used up after age 65", offering a program "aimed at stimulating the elderly out of this agism trap", solving two different problems by matching them with each other; the inefficient use of capital resources at colleges over the summer and the difficulties of those growing old in a society focused on youth. The program started in 1975 with 220 students ages 60 and up on five campuses in New Hampshire, with the support of Eugene S. Mills, president of the University of New Hampshire and a grant of $7,500 from the Spaulding Potter Charitable Trust."In Memory of Marty Knowlton"
, Elderhostel. Accessed March 18, 2009. Within five years it had grown to 20,000 students. The program was expanded internationally, to

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and

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, in 1981.Osborne, Lawrence
"Never Too Old to Learn"
''

'', February 18, 2005. Accessed March 18, 2009. By the time of his death, Elderhostel offered 8,000 programs across the United States and in 90 countries. With Elderhostel's growth and its incorporation as a non-profit in 1977, Knowlton left the organization citing his tendency to cut "administrative corners much too freely" and to resist "beyond all reason, needed administrative developments". Bianco described Knowlton as having "the administrative skills of a gnat".

After Elderhostel

After leaving Elderhostel, Knowlton moved to

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. There, he established Gatekeepers to the Future, an organization that was intended to motivate seniors to lobby for environmental change. It was restructured and renamed the Center for the Study of the Future in the early 1990s.

Personal life

Knowlton died at age 88 on March 12, 2009 at a nursing home in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowlton, Martin 1920 births 2009 deaths Birmingham–Southern College alumni Boston University alumni Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) People from Dallas Recipients of the Silver Star University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty Yale University alumni Free French military personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of World War II American high school teachers University of New Hampshire people