Friends Remember Catherine Baker Knoll As AdvocateCharity Thanks Knoll For DonationsPOSTED: 6:42 pm EST November 14,
2008 PITTSBURGH -- Friends of Catherine Baker Knoll will tell you that she was always an advocate for women who struggled to make their lives better.One of those friends spoke to Channel 4 Action News' Sally Wiggin, about the last letter she received from Knoll, and the charity that both of them loved.  Friends Remember Catherine Baker Knoll As An Advocate Therese Rocco was the first assistant chief of police in the city of Pittsburgh. She retired in 1994 but has remained active in her charities, one of which is Angel's Place, the charity to which she introduced Knoll."I am determined to resume a full life style and booster shot, like you gave my spirits a marvelous medicine," said Rocco, as she read from the last letter she received from Knoll. Knoll sent the letter in September, in response to a get-well card from Rocco."I have always believed in the goodness of human beings what you did is put an exclamation point on that belief," the letter reads.Rocco read Channel 4 the letter at Angel's Place. The charity is tucked in among the homes of the North Side's Perry Hilltop. It's where Knoll wanted donations to go, in lieu of flowers."We have received so many calls today from friends and people who knew her. Just want to fulfill her wishes of making a donation to an organization she loved. Friends from Washington D.C. and from Pittsburgh," said Angel's Place Executive Director Michelle Smith Tipton.Angel's Place is a free, comprehensive day care program for children up to age 5, whose parents are low income, single and full-time students.Rocco introduced Knoll to the charity in the '80s, when it was known as Mom's House. Now, thanks to support like Knoll's, it has grown to three centers."Each time that someone would have a death in the family, she would pay her respects to the family by sending a contribution to Angel's Place," Rocco said.It is that generosity that made Knoll so popular, Rocco believes. It is what moved Rocco to campaign for her six years ago.Rocco said she's lost a very good friend and that she felt the criticism that Knoll sometimes received from the media was unjust. She said she sees Knoll more as a compassionate public servant, not a campaigning politician.
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Copyright 2008 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | LT. GOV. CATHERINE BAKER KNOLL · 1930-2008, of McKees Rocks · Sworn in Jan. 21, 2003 · 30th lieutenant governor · First elected female Lt. Governor · St. Mary's High School alumnus · Served eight years as state treasurer · Formerly schoolteacher, businesswoman · Had four children with late husband, Charles Sr.  In Pictures: Catherine Baker KnollRendell On Baker Knoll's DeathBaker Knoll Dies From CancerMcKees Rocks Shares MemoriesRelative, Friend Remembered Channel 4 Action News Video Archives Knoll In The News CONTINUING COVERAGE WTAE-TV Pittsburgh on Facebook
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