Patrick Sheehy

Since 1969? Let us begin with two years in Boston in the middle of anti-war chaos coming away with an associate degree in broadcast journalism. Then four years wandering about -- Europe, San Francisco, Collegeville (yeah, the one in PA). Hitchhike to Montana, sign up at J-School in Missoula. Meet and marry spouse (Havre girl). Walk 1978 and off to actual paying job in Butte as night-side government reporter. But it's not cold enough in Butte so we move to Havre for five years editing the paper including a fateful move to "the dark side" -- public relations -- at local hospital.

CRIME AND JOURNALISM DON'T PAY. Two kids later it is so obvious journalism will never pay well. Recruiter in California sends us to Lewiston, Idaho, for three and a half years at another hospital.

Beep, beep, beep. The moving truck backs up and we're off to Topeka, KS, for my first full-time development job at The Menninger Foundation. In Topeka we cause a bit of trouble by challenging community attitudes about race. To the relief of some people another headhunter sends us scurrying to Iowa -- Dubuque Iowa -- for five years raising money for a regional social services agency. "Troublemaking" takes a different form when religious conservatives manage to get two of their kind elected to the school board. It is so obvious what they have in mind. We organize a group to resist. Eventually it supports three candidates who win seats on the board (one of them is me).

MUCH MORE MIDWEST. Then a move to Saint Paul, Minnesota, where I stay busy 14 years in various higher ed major gifts jobs and consulting gigs. Haven't moved ourselves in 25 years and never will again after this time. Driving a U-Haul truck across North Dakota in January.

Now we are in Bozeman, Montana, where the weather is really great at least two months of the year when there are no forest fires (just saying that to keep people from wanting to move here ... we just love it, but not the forest fires) and we're about 80 miles from where it all has begun just the other side of the Continental Divide. This great circle takes a mere 30 years.

WHAT DO YOU DO? So many times we define ourselves by what we DO. I try to define myself by what I believe. That is, this can be a much better country if we are just a little less stingy. If we don't want government to do it, then it is up to private philanthropy. Having worked in this business for 20 years I know there is a lot more money out there but not enough people asking for it. If more people of means can have an appreciation for what their largess can do for their community, this country, and beyond, I believe more will give. It is very exciting to be a part of something that is greater than you. Philanthropy is the only real way that people can be immortal. Maybe some day I will have an opportunity to find out but in the meantime I have to settle with living vicariously, with knowing I'm helping people do great things with their money.

And there you have it. My life in fewer than 4000 characters.

Favorite story? When one transitions mid-school career from parochial to public, one doesn't enter high school knowing a lot of people and one is not "in the mainstream" so to speak. Having done some writing for the junior high school newspaper I was interested in writing for the student newspaper at A.D. Eisenhower (what was it called?) but the reception from the "insiders" (who seemed to be in charge of most things) was not especially warm. So in collaboration with a couple of other misfits (Russell Shockley being one ... where the heck is he?) we started an "underground" newspaper (very much in vogue then).

It wasn't exactly radical. More like aggressively middle of the road. Principal William (snow packed projectiles) Snyder almost killed the enterprise by telling a local reporter for an actual newspaper he thought it was a healthy activity (and no, he never invited us to join him on "the platform" ... I mean, where did this guy learn English?).

We dubbed our publication Outlook NHS ... a screamin' name that just reeks of trouble (no copyright it so we couldn't go after Microsoft). But the good part was I got a column out of it in the local newspaper -- Today's Post. That eventually led me to the notion that I wanted to do something with journalism.

Meanwhile my future spouse edited an underground newspaper while she was at Havre High School in Northern Montana. They called it Doglow ... and their principal (who was from Butte) didn't like the content very much and was very interested in knowing who was behind it (step forward please and nothing will happen to you, we promise).