Most Current Position
Retired from the ministry since 1996, Pat is an active "lay member" of her church in Pleasant Hill, TN. "It has been interesting to serve as a deacon, a great honor to serve as chair of the pastoral search committee and a challenge to chair the committee looking toward funding a new building. It is interesting to be on the other side. My role as chair of the pastoral search committee means that I have a uniquely supportive relationship with our pastor."

Pat served as co-pastor with her husband from 1957 to 1996 in Connecticut, Ohio, Florida, California, and Washington. "During our years in the ministry, I tended to be the administrator but shared in preaching and other parish work."

Career Path
"I received an MDiv degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 1957. The year after my graduation from Grinnell, 1953-54, I was selected to be part of special program then part of the Danforth Foundation. I was given a stipend to live and work with student religious groups on the Vanderbilt campus. (Fifteen women were selected nation-wide, sent to a campus 1,000 miles from their homes for the academic year. The university gave us a place to live and an office. Beyond that, we each created a position and learned about the role of religion on the campus. In those days, student religious groups were very strong. Each quarter we were allowed to audit one class.) Having been at Vanderbilt for a year and audited classes in the Divinity School, I knew I wanted to complete a graduate degree and decided to stay there.

"I married the summer after my graduation from seminary. My husband was on a PhD track in English Dramatic Literature. I went to Stamford, CT to serve as minister of education at First Congregational Church there. I was ordained in that church on March 1, 1959, the first woman to be ordained in the 350-year history of that congregation. During our years there, my husband decided he wanted to seek ordination also.(I say he couldn't stay out of my job.) I left to go to Oberlin, OH where I again served as minister of education at The First Church in Oberlin (UCC) while he finished seminary. We stayed in Oberlin, both on the staff of the church for over seven years. We realized we needed to have a voice from the pulpit if folk were to understand our involvement with the youth of the church. We left in 1967 to take a position as co-pastors of First United Church in Tampa, FL. It was a small mission church. We left when the church had become self-supporting. We felt they needed to hear the gospel from another voice. In 1973 we were called as co-pastors to First Congregational Church (UCC) in Pasadena, CA. This was a huge downtown church. Our task was to help the congregation see its building as a tool of its ministry. Due to my husband's health problems caused by smog in the area, we sought another position. In 1982 we began our final and longest pastorate at First Congregational Church (UCC) in Walla Walla, WA. We retired from that position in July 1996 and moved to Uplands Retirement Village in Pleasant Hill, TN.

"The role of mentors/models of ministry is essential, I feel. I met a woman in ministry when I was a young teen. It never occurred to me that this was a career which women did not enter, until I went to seminary. I was one of three women among 250 men! I might add that I did not marry one of them! Hopefully these days, young women will more easily find such mentors as I had."

Grinnell Experience
Pat majored in education at Grinnell.

"I worked in the Library and loved doing it. I learned to meet people and deal with those who were upset about something. I was involved in activities of the education department. A group of us even went to the Iowa Education Association meeting. I spent a lot of time helping in the education office especially assisting Gale Jensen. He had a profound influence on my life as his teaching urged creativity and daring to be unique in your approach. I was part of the Grinnell band and orchestra.

"I was an active part of a college youth group that met each Sunday evening at the First Congregational Church there in Grinnell. The philosophical discussions that were a part of our weekly gatherings were an important aspect of my life. I learned we could agree and disagree yet retain respect for one another. For a time, I taught church school there. I was very shy and insecure during my Grinnell days. Participation in the local church was helpful as I was befriended by townspeople. Most of the time, I attended worship at the Grinnell chapel but was never in a leadership position. I suspect my freshman advisor, a professor of religion, would have been shocked at the direction my life took!"

How She Can Help
"I would be delighted to talk with, or be in email correspondence with students interested in the ministry. Since we were both considered by many to be 'pioneers' as co-pastors, we would be glad to talk with any student considering that. We did raise three children in the process of all this."

Contact the Career Development Office if you wish to get in touch with her.