posted 05-07-2004 12:36 PM               

California Sen. William J. "Pete" Knight, the architect of the state's gay marriage ban, has been diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia and may not return to Sacramento before he is termed out of office in November, according to his Capitol office.

Knight, R-Palmdale, has been absent from his seat since April 12 because of his illness and ongoing medical testing. Other senators have consented to shepherd his package of 24 bills, which includes a measure that would require courts to put in writing their reasons for ordering child support and another that would stiffen prison sentences for people who evade police.

The 74-year-old senator, a retired Air Force colonel and record-setting test pilot who trained for the space program, is best known as author of the state's Defense of Marriage Act, a law that states only marriages between a man and a woman are recognized as valid in California.

...Knight's office said he will be undergoing treatment for acute myelogenous leukemia, which develops when there is a defect in bone marrow. The disease is most frequently treated with chemotherapy, radiation and stem cell transplants.

posted 05-09-2004 10:43 AM               

My son John rode on a bus from the flightline alone with him, back to the parking area to pick up something and came back all excited about the 10 minutes alone they spent. He is devastated.