I
n the mid 1960s, Roger and Janie Knopf
moved to the quiet little hamlet of Morgan
Hill, population 4,000 or thereabouts.
Today, Morgan Hill is a bustling city of
more than 40,000. The Knopfs are still here, and
it’s people like them who have made Morgan
Hill the kind of place that we’re all proud to
call home.
Flash back to the 1950s. Roger and Janie
met and became friends in high school while
they lived with their families in Los Gatos and
Saratoga respectively. During his early school
years Roger got involved in Future Farmers
of America. His father purchased 70 acres in
Morgan Hill to establish a family farm. Roger has
great memories of weekends and summers when
he and his younger brother worked in the prune
orchards and learned the ins and outs of farming.
Janie’s father was an airline pilot for Pan Am,
which meant opportunities to travel. At age 12,
Janie accompanied her mother and four siblings
on a two-month trip around the world. Among
her most vivid memories was Hong Kong, known
during that era as “the pearl of the Orient.”
When her father was transferred to England the
family lived there for three years. Growing up,
Janie enjoyed studying fine art and languages,
played the flute, and competed on her school’s
diving team.
Whirlwind Beginnings
It wasn’t until Roger and Janie were students
at San José State University that they started
dating. In 1964 they got married, Roger spent
half the year in the Navy, and the couple moved
to Morgan Hill – a whirlwind year for the young
newlyweds.
For the next six years, Roger managed the
family’s Morgan Hill farm. Then in 1970, he
decided to shift gears and obtain a contractor’s
license. It was a natural transition as Roger had
grown up around the Los Gatos-based build-
ing construction business owned by his father
and uncle, known as Knopf Brothers. Roger
turned that career move into a successful 30-year
building career that included many well known
structures in South County.
“I loved construction as much as I had loved
farming,” Roger said. “We tackled projects from
the ground up, from excavation to interiors. I was
a carpenter by trade, but in the early years my
dad sent me and my brother off on projects with
various contractors to learn each trade. I decided
to focus on local projects, from the building of
South Valley National Bank in Gilroy to the
construction of an “all-green” residential home
with solar-powered electricity, solar hot water and
radiant floor heating.
A couple samples of
Janie’s artwork.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MARCH/APRIL 2016
gmhtoday.com
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