Currently, he is the managing partner of SRK Management Company, a private investment company.

Outside the Boardroom

While maintaining his busy schedule, and remaining active in business and philanthropy, Knafel also has found time for other pursuits, developing an extensive collection of antiques.

Collecting maps is a hobby of Knafel’s that goes back about 20 years to a piece of property on Martha’s Vineyard. When Knafel purchased the Martha’s Vineyard property, which contained a small pond, he heard rumor that the pond had at one time been open to the ocean. Interested in finding out if there was truth to this tale, Knafel acquired an old map of the area. The map indeed showed the land with the pond open to the ocean.

Since acquiring that first antique map, Knafel has acquired an entire collection, with the oldest map dating back to 1434.

Knafel says he enjoys seeing how an understanding of the physical world developed over time. In his collection, he has early maps that show California as an island, and later ones that show California after it was discovered to be part of the North American land mass.

“The nice thing about maps is that they show how the world was discovered,” Knafel says. “It is literally a graphic study.”

Part of the map collection will be on display in Pusey Library during commencement. Also on display from Knafel’s collection is a manuscript that contains the first reference to “Harvard Colledge” in a published document. The display is only the latest way Knafel’s contributions have bolstered the University.

“I think I’m being constructive. Alumni can be very constructive, not just in providing financial resources, which of course is vital, but more than that, I think involved alumni really provide a discipline to the staff and the faculty,” he says. “We reaffirm our dedication to what they’re doing.”

—Staff writer Stephanie M. Skier can be reached at skier@fas.harvard.edu.