Patricia Hitchcock Phelps ’69, P’96

Patricia “Pat” Phelps has been a committed advocate for both youth education in the greater Los Angeles area as well as at St. Lawrence University.  After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in Canton, she worked in the private sector at IBM, Xerox and Mobil Chemical Company.  As she and her husband, Barry ’69, P’96, began to grow their family, Pat committed herself to the betterment of youth education for both her children and other members of the Thousand Oaks community.

Between 1987 and 1998, Pat was a devoted volunteer in the Thousand Oaks Community serving on multiple PTA and Booster boards and chairing two school district bond campaigns.

Pat’s commitment to her local community and youth education continued as she was elected to the Conejo Valley School Board in 1998 and went on to serve as a clerk, vice president and a five-term president.  While a board member in the Conejo she also served on the boards of the Conejo Coalition for Youth and Families, Tri-county Education Coalition, the Ventura County School Boards Association and the County Committee on School District Organization.  As she prepared to retire from the Conejo Valley board this year, a colleague wrote, “Pat is the conscience of the board. She’s the grown-up, the historian and the preserver of the legacy.” 

The Phelps are loyal members of the Laurentian Leadership Society and the G Atwood Manley Society.  They have hosted numerous Laurentian events in the Los Angeles area and have contributed generously to the St. Lawrence Fund each year, earning Sustaining Saints recognition.  They have also supported the Phelps Family University Fellows Endowment, a Biology Student Research fund, scholarships, Kirk Douglas Hall and both men’s and women’s ice hockey.