Roderick “Rod” Knighton was born and raised in Orange, Virginia. He was the youngest of 5 children; Evis, Lyell, Jack, and Janis.
Mr. Knighton served in the United States Army and had the opportunity to travel. He has lived all over the world with some of his most interesting destinations being Japan and Vietnam. Following his tours of duty, he completed an Industrial Engineering degree at Virginia Tech. While stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia, Rod met his wife Betsy at a drive-in restaurant. Rod and Betsy have 5 children: Steven, John Michael, Melinda, Paul, and Jeffrey.
Aside from being a part of a Methodist church, Roderick has a passion for fishing and mechanical work. He enjoyed volunteering at the Orange County Fire Station. According to him, his greatest accomplishment in life was when he married his wife. He is also very proud that his children were able to pursue their education. Furthermore, “working with local individuals [during his travels] and trying to make their lives easier” made him really happy. In other words, he “felt good doing some good.”