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School Spirit Lasts A Lifetime
Pat Murphy '66 was leafing through his new St. Pat's Alumni Directory and decided to look up some old pals. After making contact with a few classmates, they got together and began reminiscing about the good times they had during their Shamrock years. The good feelings that their meeting evoked led Pat down the path to reconnect to his alma mater.
Pat recently contacted Jeff Ardito '87 of the Institutional Advancement Office at Saint Patrick High School and has since become a member of the Anam Cara Heritage Society by including St. Pat's in his estate plans. "After talking to some old friends and remembering all the good times we had at St. Pat's, I knew I had to somehow show my appreciation."
Attending basketball games was one of Pat's favorite things to do in high school. He was such a loyal follower of Max Kurland's hoopsters, that he dubbed himself "St. Pat's biggest fan." "I was constantly caught up in the camaraderie of the school," Murphy states. "The school spirit is still great."
Murphy describes himself as an average student and didn't really think about college until his senior year when two students from the College of Santa Fe, a Christian Brothers institution, visited St. Pat's to recruit students to attend the New Mexico college.
Pat was so impressed with the recruiters that he packed his bags for the West and has been there ever since. Pat, the first one in his family to attend college, graduated from Santa Fe with a degree in History. Pat then enrolled at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico where he earned a Master's degree in Psychology. He became a high school counselor at a Santa Rosa public school where he worked for three years.
Afterwards, Pat returned to the classroom at New Mexico State University where he was trained to diagnose learning disabilities in handicapped children. After receiving his advanced degree, Murphy then moved to California and again returned to school - this time to the Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara to study Neuropsychology, and he became a licensed psychologist. Pat was trained to diagnose autism in young toddlers. He is now retired but works on a contract-basis with the state to perform evaluations and help families deal with their children's condition.
Pat credits the Brothers at Saint Patrick for instilling a sense of passion in learning. "The Brothers were very patient with me. Although I didn't do a lot of work in high school, I absorbed a lot." He fondly remembers Br. Richard who left a positive impression on him and got Pat involved with the annual fundraising drive due to Brother's "catchy" enthusiasm about the school.
Pat now resides in Santa Maria, California but plans to come back this summer for a visit and, again, looks forward to getting together with some fellow Shamrocks.
