ALUMNI “WALL OF HONOR” The West Liberty University Alumni Board of Directors instituted a project in 1990 to demonstrate to current students, visitors, and friends that the college has some very successful graduates. This project, known as the “Alumni Wall of Honor,” is a dramatic way to honor some of the college’s most distinguished alumni and display pride in the accomplishments of its graduates. The concept was suggested by then Associate Professor of Physics Robert W. Schramm, who is a 1958 graduate of the college and a 2002 Alumni Wall of Honor inductee. The Alumni Wall of Honor is housed in the south end of the Union known as the Alumni Lounge.
Patricia (Zapka) Gracey
A coal miner’s daughter, nurtured in a home where education and the arts were valued and promoted, Patricia initially sought a profession in music education. West Liberty provided that entrée. A bout of cancer thwarted that pursuit. Hearing the cries for racial and social justice opened doors to a new professional pursuit in early childhood development and education.
For the next 35 years, opportunities for local community program management in the federally funded Head Start Program in Pennsylvania and West Virginia led to enriching the lives of low-income children and their families. Tens of millions of dollars of federal aid and in-kind contributions of goods and services contributed to the ever-increasing numbers of families served, thousands of them. Hundreds of teachers, aides, health and social service workers, and bus drivers found meaningful employment and professional development opportunities. Volunteers became employees. And children grew in maturity and school readiness.
Beyond the local programs, the opportunity to share my vision of a better future for young children came through leadership roles in federal Region Three and state-wide, elected office in Pennsylvania and West Virginia Head Start Associations.
Later employed as a Management Consultant, Patricia worked with Head Start Programs in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to improve their service delivery to the children and families within their bounds.
To ensure future educational assistance to Music Education majors at WLU, my husband and I have funded the Patricia Zapka Grace Music Scholarship for students chosen by the University for their professional promise and economic need.