Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
University of Maryland alumnus Miles (“Pat”) Patterson’s pursuit of a college degree was anything but easy, so he decided to give back in a unique way that has personal ties to his past.
Patterson recently established an endowment to fund the university’s Disability Support Services program “Text to Voice.” This program converts textbooks into audio files that students can listen to while reading their textbooks. This is extremely helpful to students with learning disabilities, especially dyslexia.
Patterson himself has dyslexia, but was not diagnosed until he pursued a degree at the University of Maryland. He grew up in Monkton, Md., where he worked on his family’s farm, Manor View Farm, while attending Hereford High School.
Following high school, Patterson joined the Navy to work on submarines. He loved working with mechanical equipment and was highly successful as third in his class of 110 men. Upon returning from duty, he realized that he should earn a degree to get ahead, so he enrolled at the University of Maryland to study horticulture.
“When I went to the University of Maryland it was like going abroad,” Patterson said. “It was so overwhelmingly large, expansive and full of knowledge – and everyone else was soaking it all up like a sponge, but I really had to scrub to get that knowledge."
It was at the University of Maryland that Patterson was diagnosed with dyslexia. Although he received some assistance from counselors, there was hardly the knowledge and tools that are available today to assist students with disabilities. Despite his struggles, Patterson earned his degree in horticulture in 1963.
After his graduation, he and his sister converted his family’s dairy farm into a nursery business, with the help of their parents. Together, they grew the property from a low-technology diary farm to a thriving business that employs 40 people. Today, Manor View Farm sells ornamental trees and shrubs to the area’s landscape contractors.
“Having this disorder has made me look at life differently than other people because I’m constantly searching for a way to learn, understand and express myself,” Patterson said. “Really, I like who I am with this disability, and I think that in the long run, it has given me an advantage, not a disadvantage.”
Patterson said it just felt right for him to make the non-traditional choice to donate to Disability Support Services because he understands how difficult it can be for students with learning disabilities to thrive in the education system. He had the opportunity to meet current students who use the Text to Voice service, and this further served to reinforce his decision to donate to the program.
“I hope that from my donation, students will be able to find easier and more unique ways to learn with the disabilities they have, instead of having the disabilities hold them back,” he said. “I hope it will smooth out the learning process so they feel equal to other students and can get through school with the same ease as everyone else.”
