Pat Kidson Cavanagh ’66: A Special Legacy

Pat Cavanagh ’66 (right), her daughter Elizabeth Fogle Sparks ’91 (left) and her family Joel Sparks, J. David, and Reagan

Kinkaid has been a special part of my life for 48 years. A lot has changed since I entered Kinkaid as a sophomore. Girls could only play volleyball (I still have my Captain's letter!) and basketball. Our senior lounge was a small alcove at the end of the Upper School hallway. There was even a place to smoke if you had written permission from a parent. (That has certainly changed!) There was no Interim Term, and there were only 57 graduates in 1966. We did have visiting authors, and I still remember the visit of Irving Stone, author of The Agony and The Ecstasy. We enjoyed Field Day on a much smaller scale, Book Fair in the library, and football games on Friday nights. Girls wore skirts and dresses, and boys wore khakis with madras shirts and smelled of English Leather.

Since 1984 I have had the pleasure and honor of teaching in the Kinkaid Lower School. My father insisted that we three girls get a teaching certificate "to fall back on." After my children, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Will Fogle, began attending Kinkaid, I found myself volunteering almost every day. So I approached Principal John Lloyd-Evans about teaching, and within a few weeks I was hired. It was such fun to travel to and from school with my kids. In each of their grades were the children of high school friends and classmates.

In 29 years at Kinkaid, I have taught kindergarten language arts, pre-kindergarten and second grade music, fourth grade language arts, and am now the reading specialist. I am proud to have founded KOCI Kids, the Lower School's service-learning club; cofounded Treble Choir; and established our first dyslexia reading-support program. Throughout the years, I have taught the children of my friends (too many to count), and now I am meeting the grandchildren of my classmates. That is special!

Lasting Bonds

Friends I met in the 1960s are still my friends. For my 45th reunion, 27 of my classmates traveled from as far away as California and Pennsylvania to reconnect with longtime friends. Because our class was so small, many of the spouses of my classmates have become friends as well—so the party was fun for everyone.

Kinkaid has been patient with me, allowing me to shift gears and stretch myself professionally in many different areas. When my husband Craig and I wrote our wills, including Kinkaid was a no-brainer. Aside from dedicating myself to professional excellence, the best way for me to say thank you to Kinkaid is to leave a portion of our estate to support specific programs dear to my heart.

By the way, I have thanked my father many times for making me get that teaching certificate. I can't imagine doing anything else.