Knight Harris Berman was born in Montgomery, AL on September 23, 1935, the second of three sons of Isadore "Izzy" Berman
and Jeanne Freigel Berman. He departed this life on September 11, 2004, a beloved father of four and a friend to many.
Knight's father Izzy immigrated to America from Russia with his family in the early 1900s. His mother Jeanne was a former
Miss Michigan. More about their story will be found in the Family History section.
Growing up in Montgomery with older brother Fred and younger brother Robert, Knight went to school at Cloverdale Elementary
School and began high school at Lanier. For his junior year of high school, Knight packed off to the Baylor Military School
in Chattanooga, TN where he graduated in 1953 and was the recipient of the Drama Award in his senior year.
A year or so of college at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa served him well in terms of making lifelong friends
and having a ball, but a stint in the United States Marine Corps followed and provided the discipline that would serve him
well in later years.
Upon returning to Montgomery he joined Izzy's firm, I. Berman Company, a successful insurance agency. As part of his training
he lived in New York City for a time, working for the Home Insurance Company and broadening his experiences and his network
of friends.
Back in Montgomery, he married Ivy Mauk in 1961. The couple had two children, Knight, Jr. born in 1962 and Victoria born
in 1964. While progressing in the insurance business, Knight also kept his acting chops honed at the Montgomery Little Theatre,
where he's remembered for such roles as Brick in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and Beauregard in "Mame." He
and Ivy became quite involved with the theatre company, both of them acting in and directing various plays. The couple were
divorced in 1973.
By now Knight had become president of I. Berman Company, Inc. and had succeeded in expanding the company's services and
influence. An office was opened in Atlanta, GA to better cover the Southeast. He ran unsuccessfully in Montgomery's first
City Council election in 1975, coming in a close second for his district.
Knight married Catherine Dodson in 1978. The couple had two children, Joe born in 1982 and Scott born in 1984. He was instrumental
in having Fob James elected Governor of Alabama and became sought after for his management and social skills.
In 1991 he sold I. Berman Company, Inc. to Willis Caroon, a globally respected insurance brokerage firm, but maintained a
sales consultant position with the company.
Knight succumbed to cancer on September 11, 2004. He is survived by two former wives, Ivy Mauk and Catherine Dodson, and
four children, Knight H. Berman, Jr., Victoria Ausonio, Joseph Kelley Berman, and Frederic Scott Berman; two grandchildren
by Andrew and Victoria Ausonia, Amanda Ivy and Andrew Dante Ausonio; two brothers, Fred (Tanya) Berman and Robert (Harriett)
Berman; and, devoted friend Bobbi Blair Smith.
