Patricia Carole Perkins '98
(Awarded 2008)

Nathan Hale wrote: “I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward. I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary for the public good becomes honorable by being necessary.” Those words could have well been written to describe Patricia Carole Perkins and her commitment to alma mater. While there are those who are asked to serve Davidson and willingly do so, there are also those rare individuals who seek out service to this institution. Patricia Carole Perkins is among the latter.

Patricia came to Davidson in 1994 from Green Bay, Wisconsin, having spent most of her youth in California. She entered college with a desire to become an attorney, and her passion for the law never diminished during her four years at Davidson. After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in history, this Phi Beta Kappa member of the Class of 1998 earned her juris doctorate from Vanderbilt. Following graduation from law school, Patricia opted to take the bar in North Carolina and joined, with numerous other Davidson alumni in practice, what is now Smith Moore LLP in Greensboro. Before she had actually found a place to live or had a working telephone, Patricia contacted Davidson, gave administrators a way to be in touch, and volunteered her time.

Since that initial contact, Patricia has served tirelessly to aid current Davidson students in their pursuit of the law, including volunteering with the Office of Career Services as a counselor and mentor to students interested in her profession, as well as conducting mock interviews for those preparing to apply to law school. Patricia has also volunteered her time to the Annual Fund for the past eight years, served on the planning committee for both her fifth and tenth reunions, and is a member of the Fideles and Ne Ultra societies.

For her personal and professional achievements, for her unwavering efforts to promote Davidson among other alumni, friends, and the community, for her contagious laugh and constant good nature, for her intelligence and for her diligence, and for the example of service which she sets for others to follow, the Davidson College Alumni Association honors Patricia Carole Perkins with the Young Alumni Service Award on the occasion of her 10th reunion, this 26th day of April, 2008.