The Father Of Nike Returned To University To Write Novels.

A new student in the creative writing workshop at Stanford University is the founder of the Nike brand, billionaire Philip H. Knight, on a spring evening. A mysterious man sat at the back seat of a creative writing workshop in Stanford University.

He was obviously a student dressed, but he was much older than anyone else in the class.

He wore a black sports jacket and white Nike shoes.

He told others that he was Phil (Phil).

As the days passed, the identity of the person became more and more the focus of public attention.

Andre Lyon, an English major student in the class, said, "there are several vague references to Phil's departure from a private plane after class."

In addition, Phil also mentioned the legendary experience of Michael Jordan (Michael Jordan) in his own literary speech.

A few weeks later, rumors began to spread: the old man dressed in Nike was actually the founder of Nike, the world's largest sports brand, and billionaire Philip H. Knight (H Philip).

The rumor is true.

The 69 year old knight has built up a company in Beaverton, Oregon over the past 40 years, and is famous for his low profile and secrecy.

As Chief Executive (CEO), Knight usually receives guests in a small conference room, and few managers are allowed to enter his private room.

In 2004, Knight resigned from CEO as chairman of the company, and then became even more low-key. Only when he picked up the handsome CEO at the beginning of 2006, he went back to the public eye.

Probably in the year when he resigned from CEO, Nate returned to the classroom.

In the past three years, knight is not a registered student, but he regularly takes classes with undergraduates from Stanford University, exchanges homework with other students, and even goes out to a bar in Palo Artaud for a few beers.

He told his classmates that he was writing a novel.

Knight rejected several requests for interview for his writing.

But according to Stillman, a former classmate of Ben, Hemingway's performance in the class is very "Hemingway".

"He doesn't like long talk," Stillman said.

"He does not reveal much about himself, but you can see that he has many ideas in private."

Nate's coming to class may have something to do with his pocketbook.

Last year, Knight announced that he donated $105 million to Standford business school, which he graduated in 1962.

According to a university spokesman, he has made numerous donations, including the addition of a professorship to the business school, the donation of a research building, and the presentation of gifts to the sports department.

Nate received his bachelor's degree from University of Oregon in 1959.

He also donated money to University of Oregon many times.

Knight's late academic career began only a few years ago.

At that time, he visited the Campus Office of Tobias Wolff, a novelist and an English professor at Stanford University, Tobey.

According to Wolf, Knight said he wanted to write, and asked him where to start.

"I suggest that he start with his own level of competence," Wolf said.

In a low-key way, he introduced knight to an introductory course in creative writing.

"At that time, we had a lot of thought in order not to let other students know his identity."

Wolf said.

So Knight became a frequent visitor to all kinds of English classes, but he rarely revealed his situation.

For example, in the spring of 2006, the form and theory of "English 95: novels" can be seen on Wednesday night.

Professor Adam, a lecturer in the department named Adam Johnson, refused to comment on the lesson of Nate.

A photo may be taken in the open class of this class. It is a classy underground classroom with 15 students. Students smile and prepare notebooks next to it. NAT just turns his face around.

However, Knight's investment in this class is not discounted.

His homework was circulated to his classmates, and his enthusiasm for words was clearly seen.

"Writing with emotion, words are perceptive," Knight put forward in his April 25, 2006 essay.

"The most plain language often has the most powerful power."

Those students who take classes once a week remember that they talked with Nate about the themes and characters of some novels, such as Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman and Puig Edward's (Edward Schwarzschild) "responsible man" (Responsible Men), Manuel.

Although he was older than his classmates, Knight soon became a popular figure in Standford's campus. Everyone knew that he liked to hold a party with his wife Penny in the bar of Artaud's after class, and then took a private plane back to his home in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon.

"He always pays for it," Stillman said.

Some of these activities also invite senior professors from the English Department to attend, sometimes for a few minutes at Standford The Parks and Blue Chalk hall.

Blue Chalk's website invites guests to "relax and enjoy a cold beer or a bottle of Margaret".

Nate even showed up on Facebook. He put a picture on it.

On the photo, he put his arms on the shoulders of two college students, and a student holding a bottle as if he were a bottle of Margaret.

According to knight's classmate, knight is diligent and enthusiastic in class.

"What impressed me most is that he was so confident when he spoke," said Amelia, former classmate, Amelia Ashton, who still maintained "CEO's determination and self-confidence" when he was a student.

Jasmine Hanif, a junior Jasmine, revealed that Nate likes the hero's "tough guy" Hanifi.

One of his assignments revealed that he had a special interest in Hemingway's 1926 novel "the sun rises as usual".

This novel is about overseas Americans. The most famous story is the description of the exciting Spanish bullfight scene.

"Hemingway rewrote the book for the twelve time, and discussed his amendment with Scott Fitzgerald (Scott Fitzgerald), but it did not damage the charm of the book," Knight wrote.

"People like to read love stories more than any other type of novels, but love stories are the most difficult to write, which is no exception for Hemingway."

But Knight did not like the simple and unadorned conversation in the book. He thought the dialogue might have made Hemingway pay more.

Knight seems to also despise the heroine Bret Ashley (Brett Ashley), the "scorpion beauty", "all in their own", but "in addition to beautiful, there is no attractive place."

Stillman said that in a discussion about William Maxwell's "So Long," See You Tomorrow, about the mysterious murder in the Midwest town, he discovered that Nate was not a novice in Maxwell writing.

"Knight's wife at the meeting said that knight never stopped trying to end his novel, he insisted for 20 years," Stillman said.

Another time when Steel de asked NAT about his book, NAT said he did, but he did not reveal any details.

"He pays great attention to keeping this secret."

Wolf said that during the semester of September, no one saw NAT on campus, but he did not rule out the possibility of his return at the end of the year.

In a few steps away from the English classroom, Knight Management Center will break ground next year, which is the latest contribution of Nate to campus.

The center will include new classrooms, dining facilities and a 600 seat auditorium.

According to the last activity at the writing seminar, NAT gave a gift certificate worth $200 to everyone present.

Hilde, a novelist, once came to Nate's class and was moved by his modest learning attitude.

Schulz Hilde said, "actually, it's very easy for NAT to ask the teacher to move. It's all right to pick up someone by helicopter.

But he wants to join a real working group as an equal member.

He doesn't want to be a CEO. He wants to be Philip NAT, a student.