The father of the New York-born philanthropist founded Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., but Knapp made his own fortune in publishing before discovering North Carolina. He adopted the state, after first seeing it in 1916, spending much of his last 30 years at the hunting lodge he built on Mackey's Island in Currituck County.

After Knapp's death in 1951 at age 87, his wife donated the paneling from their River House, N.Y., living room, which frequenters of the Ackland Art Museum may remember seeing displayed there from the time the museum opened in 1958.

Now the warm pine walls, fireplace mantel and surround, including Waterford crystal sconces, create an inviting classroom for graduate students in the public administration program at UNC's School of Government.

"It's just beautiful," said Margaret Henderson, who teaches nonprofit management in the Knapp Room. "It creates an intimate atmosphere in the room. That's a room that encourages conversation and discussion."

Albert Coates, founder of the Institute of Government (now part of the School of Government), wrote a "Short Short Story" about Knapp's work on behalf of his adopted state. "[He] took root there and grew and flourished as a native to the soil," Coates wrote. "His guides became his friends; the people of Currituck, his fellow citizens; North Carolina, his home; the South, his passion. Ducks, fish, sky, land, and water became native resources to be converted into better living for homefolks as well as into sport for strangers.

"As he worked with local leaders for 30 years to lift the level of living in Currituck County, he saw that money wasted in honest inefficiency was as great a burden to taxpayers as money lost in conscious fraud; saw the need for systematic training of public officials for the public service before going into office and thereafter in continued training on the job."

Knapp showed that he fully understood the work of the Institute of Government by the half-million dollar gift made by his foundation following his death. The money helped construct the red brick building completed in 1956 on the eastern section of campus, which bore his name and housed the institute. Following a dramatic alteration and addition several years ago, two exterior walls of the original structure Ñ one with his name still on it Ñ provide reminders of history within the new building.

Details of having the Knapp living room installed fell to Ann Simpson, associate dean for development and communication. She chose Jim Kirkpatrick of Kirkpatrick Woodworks, who performed the job with the help of Scott McSwain.

"It was a big puzzle, trying to take these panels and make them go into this room and create a similar feeling to what it had," Kirkpatrick said. The original room didn't have heating and air-conditioning vents, the same electrical outlets and same-sized windows. But they made it work.

They found that paneling could not be put on the back of the door or it wouldn't open all the way and had originally planned to paint the white door a dark color on the back. But once the rest of the walls were there, they saw that trompe l'oeil, or faux painting would provide the needed effect, so they called Cricket Taylor who painted the back of the door to match the paneling. She also suggested using wallpaper that looks like a book-filled bookcase, which was hung on the classroom's back wall.

The room, like the Knapp building, provides testimony, not only to Knapp's generosity, but to the process of improvement as taught at the institute.

"Like in our communities and in our state, they didn't raze this building and start over. They used what was in place; added to and adjusted and grew from there," said Henderson. "Which is how change really happens."