I am a Knox grad. I usually don’t mention this unless it’s directly relevant. If there’s a CTCL-related thread, or if someone is looking for LACs that give significant merit, I’ll typically name other CTCL schools (Beloit, Kalamazoo, Wooster) to make my point, as I don’t want to be accused of selling my school.
But, yeah, your post basically nails it. There are students at places like Beloit or Lawrence or Ohio Wesleyan that are very high-achieving; some were admitted to more selective schools but could not afford them. There are other students, like your dad, who needed what a good solid LAC could provide (it sounds, maybe, that I was like your dad; I was a bright but apathetic student in high school). I appreciate that LACs fight the good fight and create an environment for those students that care deeply about learning. Sure, there are drawbacks (I’m concerned about the lack of diversity of thought on many LAC campuses), and not every student wants a small residential college, but I continue to be an unabashed LAC fanboy on this site.