Tom Knox

Quotations to live by:

"Well done is better than well said."

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."

- both by Ben Franklin

Book on my nightstand right now: 1776, by David McCullough. A fascinating account of how George Washington endured extreme difficulties and triumphed despite the odds.

Favorite author, fiction: Gene Roddenberry.

Favorite author, nonfiction: David McCullough. He has a way of making history come alive.

Favorite poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

TV show I'm not ashamed to admit I watch: Star Trek. I'm drawn to the show partly because of escapism, but also because it's obviously a very imaginative show - and, for the most part, very well done.

Favorite comic strip: Dennis the Menace, by Hank Ketcham.

Movie I love so much I've watched it more than twice: Casablanca.

Web sites I visit regularly: Philly.com (www.philly.com).

If you turned my radio on right now, it would be tuned to: KYW-AM (1060).

Magazines I read regularly: Forbes and Condé Nast.

Favorite musician: Rod Stewart.

Last concert attended: Philadelphia Orchestra, Academy of Music, Jan. 27.

Recording I play when my soul needs a lift: Every Picture Tells a Story, by Rod Stewart. The whole album.

Living person I'd most like to join for dinner and conversation: My wife, Linda.

Hero from history: Ben Franklin. He's such an inspirational figure. I can't think of anyone who embodied the American spirit more than he did. He was Yankee ingenuity personified, the ultimate problem-solver. He had a lot of courage and wasn't afraid to fail. He was a brilliant entrepreneur and businessman, but was also very civic-minded - and he had a great sense of humor.