Alfred E. Knobler was born March 4, 1915 in New York, New York. He graduated from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1938 with a degree in Ceramic Engineering. Knobler served as president of The Pilgrim Glass Corporation in of Ceredo, West Virginia; Alfred E. Knobler & Co., Inc., New York, New York; Knobler International Limited, London; Knobler Energy Associates, Inc., Barboursville, West Virginia. He was also the recipient of the Creative Achievement Award for Contemporary American Glass from the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
From the guide to the Alfred E. Knobler Founder's Day Speech, 1981, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)