When Pat Fesperman ’58 decided to establish a scholarship for undergraduate or graduate students preparing for a career in education, it was more than simply wanting future generations of students to have the same opportunities she had. It was a gift of love, both for her alma mater as well as for her late husband, both of whom changed her life forever.
Pat’s father, Roy Helgesen relocated his family from Charleston, South Carolina to Greensboro, North Carolina in 1952, not knowing it would be a transformational move for his daughter, Margaret Patricia Helgesen. It was in Greensboro that Pat discovered two things that would influence her course in life for all time: The Woman’s College of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her true love, Thomas Eugene Fesperman.
As a student at the Woman’s College (WC), Pat majored in Elementary Education, excelling in the classroom and still finding time for campus activities, leadership opportunities and forming lasting friendships. She fondly remembers family-style dining in the cafeteria, going to Chapel and hiding her Bermuda shorts under a raincoat during class. She and Tom frequently visited each other, both at WC and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a student. The young couple fell even more deeply in love. About her WC years, Pat says, “The bonding experiences and memories of my years at the Woman’s College have been woven into the tapestry of my life and influenced directly and subliminally personal and professional choices and decisions. The sustaining values and knowledge I received and imbued have contributed to a life richly blessed and deeply appreciated.”
Pat and Tom married shortly after graduation and enjoyed almost 54 years celebrating the kind of relationship most people only dream of, bringing out the best in each other. Tom supported Pat while she pursued her career in teaching; Pat helped Tom establish his successful insurance business in Atlanta. Together, they served as volunteers and benefactors of cherished causes in the Atlanta area.
Pat was a natural educator –intelligent, patient, challenging and wise to the ways of elementary school students. Because she taught for so many years in Dunwoody, a suburb of Atlanta, she is still recognized and greeted by her former students and their parents. A recent letter from a second grade student from 1964 served as a reminder to Pat about the influence that a teacher can have over her/his students:
I have thought about wiring this letter for many years, and this week – the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death – would be a good time to contact you. I was in your 2nd grade class at Shamrock that year, and I can remember that weekend like it was yesterday. I also can remember how great a job you did in handling such a tragic event with a classroom of seven-year-olds. Very calm and reassuring. You held us together during that dark time and I will never forget that… Thank you for your kindness, your patience, your encouragements, for your ability to teach 2nd graders and your ability to explain things so even seven-year-old minds can understand.
As her self-described “Taj Mahal” tribute to her husband at the one year anniversary of his death, with a testamentary gift of $100,000, Pat established The Patricia Helgesen Fesperman, Class of 1958 and Thomas Eugene Fesperman Scholarship in Education so the memory of his life and their lives together will continue in perpetuity to inspire others to love, grow and achieve their dreams through education.
To make a gift at any level to the School of Education, click here (https://secure.www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/UNCG/onlinegiving/showGivingForm.jsp?form_id=78292) or email Terri Jackson, Director of Development
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