Drs. Patricia McIntosh Coles and Gary J. Coles believe giving back to others is important and that it is a process that begins with imagination. They have imagined a student whose life has been changed for the better by a scholarship they established. It is their express hope that recipients of the Dr. Patricia McIntosh Coles and Dr. Gary J. Coles ‘81 Scholarship for Elementary Education will, as elementary school teachers, continue this process of giving back throughout their lives.
Patricia’s passion for education is perhaps best expressed in one succinct sentence: “I cannot imagine a more fulfilling life’s work than being an educator.” Gary credits his teachers for filling his mind with content and enthusiasm that lasted his entire life, noting “education is the stem from which everything else grows.”
Both hope the Dr. Patricia McIntosh Coles and Dr. Gary J. Coles ‘81 Scholarship for Elementary Education can inspire MU students to become teachers and to become heroes, in turn, for their students, just like the teachers in their lives.