Known Clare County historian and member of the Clare County Historical Society Robert Knapp passed away a couple of weeks ago.
Knapp made many historical contributions to Clare County. Before that he attended Central Michigan University and then earned his Ph.D. in Ancient History at the University of Pennsylvania. He retired from his position as a professor in the classics department at the University of California-Berkeley in 2006.
Knapp lived full time in Oakland, California with his wife, Carolyn, and they made frequent trips around the world and to Michigan. The Bell/Knapp family cabin in Sheridan Township was their base in Clare County.
Knapp wrote many books about local history. Titles include ‘Clare 1865-1940’ (2012), ‘Community of Learning History and Memories. The Laboratory School Central Michigan University 1895-1970’ (2021), ‘Gangsters Up North: Mobsters, Mafia, and Racketeers in Michigan’s Vacationlands’ (2020), ‘Small-Town Citizen Minion of the Mob. Sam Garfield’s Two Lives – Purple Gangsters, Meyer Lansky, and Life in Clare Michigan’ (2018), and ‘Mystery Man. Gangsters, Oil, and Murder in Michigan’ (2014). He also wrote academic titles as well, including ‘The Dawn of Christianity: People and Gods in a Time of Magic and Miracles’ (2017) and ‘Invisible Romans’ (2013). His work has been translated into several languages for publication.
If you would like to learn more about Robert Knapp, you can visit his website at www.cliophiles.com or www.cliophilepress.com.