David Ross Patrick & Barbara Gaddis Patrick Scholarship

This scholarship will benefit WSU students majoring in Education.

Criteria

1. Each recipient must be an undergraduate student enrolled full-time and in good standing at Winona State University. (minimum of 12 credits per semester, Fall and Spring)
2. Each recipient must be a declared Education major.
3. Each recipient must have a minimum of 3.0 GPA.
4. Preference will be given to students who graduated from Winona or Austin, MN high schools. If a student from the specified area does not apply this scholarship will be awarded to a student who graduated from a Minnesota high school.

Biography/Motivation

David Ross Patrick, a native of Winona, and Barbara Ann Gaddis, of Austin, met as freshmen at Winona State in the fall of 1952. Barbara graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1956. After completing his sophomore year, David enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served our country in Army Security while stationed in Korea and Japan from 1954-57. In August, 1957, David and Barbara were married and returned to Winona to start a family and complete David’s education. In 1960, David earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Barbara taught kindergarten in suburban Minneapolis/St. Paul following her graduation, and again in the early 1960s. David’s 32 year career in Property-Casualty Claims Management took their family from Minneapolis to Windsor, CT, Tulsa, OK, Overland Park, KS, Peoria, IL, and St. Louis, MO. Barbara was a home based Mom for many years, and later returned to work in retail. She retired from Dillards in 1997.

Throughout the years and many moves, Winona and WSU remained a cherished part of their life. This is where they each met the love of their life, laid the foundation of adulthood, and met lifelong friends. This is where they regularly returned for family gatherings, WSU homecomings, and simply to enjoy the beauty of our campus and city. A memorial bench sits at the entrance of Krueger Library in celebration of David and Barbara.

The Patrick’s children, Lisa, Leslie, and David, established this scholarship to honor their parents and the university that gave David and Barbara their start in life. Their hope is to help students obtain the knowledge and skills required to be great teachers. In doing so, their parents’ legacy will continue to positively impact future generations.