It has been said that there are only two things certain in life; death and taxes. There is a third certainty though… change. Change is inevitable. Over time, everything changes. Whether by the choices we make or the circumstances fate thrusts upon us, things change.

The Patterson School has undergone enormous changes over the years. The school is nothing like it was in 1909, the year it was founded. Nor is it anything like it was 30 years ago, 20 years ago or even 10 years ago.  The world changed and the school had to change along with it in order to survive and fulfill its mission.

In the early 90’s the school was renamed to The Morgan School at Patterson Preserve. The name change brought with it a million dollar donation, an enormous amount back then and nothing to sneeze at even today. Sometimes change proves to be detrimental though. In changing the school’s name it lost its connection to its heritage and worse, its alumni. Four years after the name change the Episcopal church closed the school and put it up for sale.

Fortunately there were a few dedicated individuals who would not accept the school’s fate. They banded together, formed The Patterson School Foundation, and bought the school from the Episcopal church, reopening it as The Patterson School once again. They chose to be masters of fate rather than its victims. We owe these people a tremendous debt of gratitude.

After graduating from The Patterson School, I made choices that would determine who I would become, what I would like, what I would dislike, what my goals would be, what my life would be like etc. I was master of my own fate. In 2004 though, all that changed. I was diagnosed with a disabling neurological disorder and suddenly I was a victim of fate.

I could have just accepted my fate, gone on disability and spent the rest of my days doing nothing. A life of leisure isn’t so bad, even if it’s a very austere one. Still though, not being master of my own fate was repugnant to me. I had to find some alternative to life as a couch potato but my options were far and few between. I would never be able to hold a regular job again.

Then one day in January 2009 I received an email from Janet Spoon, secretary of The Patterson School Board of Trustees and the school’s librarian. Janet and I had been corresponding via email for many years. That email though contained some distressing news. Because of the economic chaos whipping around the world, the school was facing financial problems so severe that it could mean the closure of the school…forever.

I didn’t have the money to make a donation but thought I could surely come up with some way of helping. That’s when it dawned on me. It was time to return to my roots, the place I called home for 6 years. I decided to offer my talents, skills, knowledge and experience as a gratis resource for The Patterson School, to use however it saw fit.

The school desperately needed the help of all those who hold it dear. The school had to re-engage its alumni and reach out to them if it was to survive. In a flurry of emails flying back and forth almost daily for the next 2 months, Janet and I began to develop a plan.

Over my career, one of my fortes had become creating teams and communities, especially online. My career with AT&T had provided with me an extensive knowledge of computers, the internet and website development. The answer to how I could help the school, as well as become master of my own fate again, was obvious.

Janet and I decided to meld my knowledge and skills with the school’s need to re-engage its alumni. The result of that decision is the Patterson School Blog. The Patterson School Blog has been designed specifically to engage, entertain and educate the school’s friends and alumni.

The blog provides the school’s friends and alumni with articles about the school, its students, its alumni, upcoming events, activities, news and announcements. It also offers an online subscription to the our newsletter as well as discussion forums where you can chat with old friends, or make new ones. It will be, I hope, a vibrant community of those who desire to see the school continue to grow and evolve.

As Blog Master of the new Patterson School Blog, I invite you to join me in giving back to the school, for everything it has given you. Just spend a little time thinking about your own resources, skills, talents and experiences. Volunteering can be a very rewarding experience.