Through current gifts, Patricia L. Summerville ’72 has established three new endowed funds, including the Patricia L. Summerville Endowed Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Patricia Summerville Emerging Artist and Professionals Program Fund and the Patricia L. Summerville Excellence in Art Awards in order to give back and support students at Murray State University who hope to pursue a career in the field of visual arts and arts education.
Patricia graduated from Murray State University in 1972 with a B.S. degree with concentrations in art and education, after attending for only three years. She then earned three additional degrees including a M.S. Ed., with a major in supervision in 1976 from the University of Akron; a M.H.A., with a major in Hospital Administration in 1982 from Xavier University; and the Juris Doctor from Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 1994. She was admitted to the bar the following year. Patricia’s career included teaching art for six years, serving as an administrator for hospitals and healthcare facilities for twenty years and practicing law for five years before retiring in 2003.
Patricia recently reconnected with the University in the fall of 2016 when she thought it was time to give back. “I know it seems strange, since I have degrees from 3 other universities but I have always loved Murray and have thought that what I have become is what I learned at Murray!” she says. “I know that I have a lot of experiences but all was grounded at Murray and I am very much a product of my time at Murray!”
It was always Patricia’s intent that she fully finishes funding what she has started. As a result, she has generously made provisions in her estate plans to fund the lecture series beyond her initial endowment gift as well as endow each of the other funds and establish scholarships in the department of art & design and the School of Nursing and Health Professions (in memory of her mother, Ilean Summerville).
By making current gifts and specifying a planned gift, she gets to see the tangible benefits of her philanthropy now, while also having the reassurance that her funds will be sufficient—and eventually all endowed—supporting students of both current and future generations.
To learn how you, like Patricia, can make an impact at Murray State University and on our students, contact Dr. David Durr, CFA, CFP® at 270-809-6912 or ddurr@murraystate.edu.