Because of his modesty, I waited until after his retirement to write about him. Many years ago, Pat served as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and in that capacity came to know William McChesney Martin, who was then chairman of the Federal Reserve system in Washington. His interest in education had led him to serve as a member of the board of regents for the University System of Georgia, a trustee at Agnes Scott College, and a member of boards of visitors at both Duke and Emory. Chairing a college board is a complex and time-consuming task. Board chairs link corporate practice and leadership to the world of ideas, the world of business to that of higher education.
Colleges are in fact corporations with budgets and a bureaucracy.
They also are non-profit institutions dedicated to the moral and intellectual growth of young people. The crucial bottom line for a college is the impact it has upon its students. All trustees must work to link the business and intellectual elements that make up a college, but the board chair has that as a special responsibility. Moreover, it is the board chair's duty to see that all goes well during a transition in presidential leadership. Pat and I met often and spoke even more frequently during my first year at Berry.