When you go to Dillin Hall for breakfast and pick up your omelet Patty is almost always there to say “have a good day!” She lights up Dillin by greeting students and checking in on how their day is going.

But she is more than a server and cook at Dillin. Patty grew up in a small town in in Georgia, about the size of Sheridan. She is the ninth of sixteen children in her family, and her family is extremely important to her.

In 1989 Patty made the move to Oregon as a single mom of three children because she wanted them to have a better life. When she first moved here her family asked when she was coming back home to Georgia. She would respond with “I am home.”

The greenery and mountains made her fall in love with Oregon- her favorite part about it is “when it ain’t raining and snowing, the sunshine.”

When she came to McMinnville, she began working in a nursing home and raising her children as a single mom. Eventually she went on to be a single mother and grandmother raising one of her grandchildren, who is now 20.   

Fourteen years ago, she submitted her application for Dillin Hall, and got the job. After all these years, she is still loving her job at Dillin. Her favorite part about work is “saying hello and talking with the kids, visiting with them, and seeing how their day is.”

Patty loves many aspects of Linfield College; she loves the students who she says are “like her kids.” She does more than just cook for Linfield students; you can often see her at games cheering on the students. Not to mention her love for the campus, she still has a special place in her heart for the greenery and beauty that Oregon provides.

When Patty isn’t working or cheering on the Wildcats you can probably find her with her grandchildren. She has five grandchildren in the area who are 20, 8, 6, 2, and three months old. She loves spending her spare time playing with all her family, especially her grandkids.

Patty wants Linfield Students to know that “I really love interacting with them, it makes my day to see their smiles and hear their thank yous.” She truly appreciates all the students.