Mr. Curtin came to St. Petersburg College in 1974 as a retired U.S. Navy Commander with a master’s degree in Sociology from the University of South Florida. He taught two courses on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus: Sociology and Marriage and Family.
He was an advocate for faculty unionization and in 1980 was elected president of the SPC Faculty Association. The movement led directly to the establishment of the Faculty Governance Organization. In 1989-’90 he served on SPC’s FACET (Focus on Access, Community and Excellence in Teaching) Commission, which was chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Education Terrel Bell.
When he retired in 1991, he was Coordinator of Continuing Education. In subsequent years, he often returned as an adjunct instructor. Although he passed away in 2011, his legacy at the college lives on through his family: All three daughters, one son-in-law and one grandchild graduated from St. Petersburg College and his youngest grandchild is on pace to graduate in 2017.
If I could, I would thank Mr. Curtin for his service in the Navy, on the SPC faculty, and in faculty governance. I’m the secretary of the current Faculty Senate, and I know how complicated things are NOW – I can’t imagine what it was like when he and his colleagues were working to create a governance structure. I learned of Pat Curtin’s resolve and perseverance when I was researching SPJC/SPC history for the 50th anniversary of the Clearwater Campus, and I was excited to nominate him for Faculty Emeritus. Thank you Curtin family for your continued support and encouragement of St. Petersburg College.
It was my pleasure to work with Mr. Curtin in the late 90’s when he volunteered to help out in our student affairs office. He was kind, funny and very caring. Our students enjoyed working with him almost as much as I did! He will be missed.
My dad was an inspiration who liked to remind me “the harder you work, the luckier you get.” He lived those words. As an enlisted man lacking any familial or political connections, the U.S. Navy invited him to apply to the Naval Academy. (His midshipman cruise was on the storied USS Missouri, only a few years removed from the Japanese surrender.) His hard work continued to pay off as he rose through the military (in 1966, he was Roger Staubach’s — yes, THAT Roger Staubach — commanding officer in Vietnam). Later, he transformed himself into a successful college professor. Through it all, he expected excellence of my sisters and me. As the first in his family to earn a college degree, he expected each of us to do the same. . . All three of us started at SPJC. (I actually took his Sociology class, with the approval of Dr. Joy Mitchell.) . . . Although he passed away in 2011, we remember him. And now St. Petersburg College is celebrating his legacy. Thank you.
Pat Curtin is my Father. Dad was intelligent, witty, quick to laugh and never short of an opinion! He is greatly missed.
In 1975 I had the pleasure of taking Dad’s Sociology class. Before the semester started Dad suggested that he not use my last name when calling roll which seemed reasonable to me. As it turns out it was a wise decision as I found that Dad was in the habit of weaving tall tales about his family and his children’s behavior (or misbehavior) as teaching examples!
I know that Dad would be honored to be recognized as Faculty Emeritus. I cannot say how much this recognition means to our family. We all desire to make a difference, to leave a legacy. As Faculty Emeritus we know that Dad certainly achieved that goal.
Terry Curtin Roberts
SPJC Class of 1976
I met Pat as a new faculty member in the 80’s when I taught a few classes in the St Petersburg campus. He was always kind and will take the time to give me tips on teaching. He also had a good sense of humor. A gentleman and a proud supporter of SPJC and its faculty.
I had Mr. Curtin many years ago as a Sociology teacher. He and I had an unusual bond… My brother was dating his daughter. That being said, he never showed favoritism toward me.. Or lack thereof!
With Mr. Curtin’s dry wit, I found him entertaining; his humor charming…
Years later, after my brother married his daughter, I enjoyed his cleverness. He was one of my favorites, at what we used to call “J.C.” – the junior college that it was. Great memories…
Pat Curtin was my uncle, my mother’s little brother. Because our families lived on opposite coasts, we didn’t spend time together frequently, but when we did spend time with Uncle Pat it was always a very enjoyable time. He had a great sense of humor and personality. He made my husband and our family feel so welcomed when we visited him in Florida while our children were very young. To me, Pat was the perfect cross between my mother and Pat’s older brother, Bob. Not as stern as Uncle Bob, but funnier than my mother. He is missed.
Loved his teaching style….learned a great deal from him
Pat Curtin was more than a faculty leader and great professor the formerly SPJC. He was one of those rare human beings who truly believed that education was the great equalizer for all rather than a special society for the select few. He felt that any student could excel regardless of previous academic struggles.
I thoroughly enjoyed knowing and working with Pat and am humbled to be afforded this opportunity to express sentiments publicly that were expressed privately with him many times.
I worked in the office next to Pat’s in the 80’s when we were both with Open Campus…he coordinated Telecourses and I coordinated Dual Enrollment. He was super-efficient and always kind to students and staff alike. I admired and respected him for his service to our country. It was my pleasure to work not only with him but later with his daughter, Patty. He certainly deserves this honor bestowed upon him.
Pat Curtin was my grandfather, and I can tell you that his legacy is alive and well. Through two distinguished careers, he proved that you were never too old to stop learning. He fostered a strong love of learning in each of his three daughters. They were taught not only how to learn, but also how to question everything around them. This instilled a level of curiosity and of deep, critical thinking in our family that I have yet to see rivaled.
My mother passed these gifts along to me, and in turn, I am passing them along to my three daughters. My oldest daughter is 7, and had the honor of knowing her great-grandfather. When I see her analyze the world around her and ask me “Why?” for what seems like the 1000th time, I know that her inquisitiveness is the result of what my grandfather began long before she was born.
On a more indulgent yet relevant note, my grandfather impressed upon me a love for the Olympics. “These people train their entire life for this moment. The least we can do is watch them and cheer them on.” He said this to his girls, my mother said it to me, and now I share it with my girls. I think of him often, but especially fondly every two years.
Even though he passed away almost five years ago, I am humbled to continue to learn more about him. Thank you SPC for this special opportunity to honor and celebrate my grandfather, Pat Curtain.
I am very proud that my father has been chosen for this honor. Dad came to teaching after his first career in the US Navy. His travels and wide perspective of the world served his students well. He delighted his classes with stories to illustrate the lessons presented. I was not a student of Dad’s in the classroom, as he began teaching the year after I left SPJC. He was, however, my lifelong teacher and my inspiration to continue to study and to research all kinds of things. Thanks to him, I am forever curious.
We sat down together to dinner every evening as a family. We were expected to contribute to the conversation. One rule prevailed: Any opinion expressed must be backed up with facts. We then had to defend our position. Dad delighted in playing “devil’s advocate” in order for us to develop the ability to recognize the important from the trivial.
Dad was a sports enthusiast. He played basketball and baseball early on. Upon our arrival at each Navy posting, Dad would join the base softball team. He played racquetball until he was physically unable to continue. In 1968 he bought a color TV, for the Olympic Games. As the games returned every four years, he would remind us of the effort and will it took the athletes to reach this competition. We watched the games from beginning to end. It was the very least we could do, he said . . .recognize their effort and cheer them on. That sums up my Dad. He appreciated effort and hard work in others, and demanded it of himself. He would be honored by this recognition. Thank you.
Cynthia Curtin Craft
SPJC, Class of 1974
Pat was a colleague and a friend at Saint Petersburg Junior College! He taught telecourses for me and I knew I could always count on him for professionalism and attention to students. Then, I was privileged to be faculty in the same department with him. Pat was always there when I had a question and I considered him to be an important Mentor in my early teaching days. I really enjoyed my time with the Social Science crew at St. Pete/Gibbs, and Pat was a huge part of that!
Mr. Curtin was an incredible teacher. I had the honor of taking his sociology class back in 1975 and he was one of the most engaging, kind, and fair teachers in all of my college career. I distinctly remember sitting in the first row because I thought his class was so fun, and I was captivated by his witty and entertaining nature. Thank you Mr. Curtin, for creating a fun learning environment! This distinguished honor is well deserving to a man who was an inspiration to many!
As luck would have it, I had the honor of working with Mr. Pat Curtin before he retired from SPJC in 1991. An organization I represented partnered with SPJC’s Continuing Education Department to provide a national teleconference series to our local hospitals, and Mr. Pat Curtin was my contact. From day one, Mr. Pat Curtin – and that is what I always called him – Mr. Pat Curtin — and I hit it off. He was so smart, funny and totally in charge. I never had to worry about a thing with Mr. Pat Curtin there. He was generous, as well. He took the time to write a very thoughtful letter to my boss about his experience working with me. I was so touched and I am sure I still have that letter tucked away in my life’s memories. Had I known Mr. Pat Curtin had been a Commander in the Navy, I would have surely addressed him as Commander Curtin – that has such an alliterative ring – but I didn’t know that until many years later … when luck intervened again.
So, now fast-forward 16 years.
As luck would have it, my husband and I were traveling to Italy with a wonderful group of people we did not know. As we made the “getting to know you” rounds, we connected with Jeff and Cindy Craft. The four of us quickly bonded. To prove that this is the “biggest-little-small-town one will ever live in,” Jeff and I quickly realized that we had met doing charitable work several years before, and I discovered that Cindy was Cindy Curtin Craft – the amazing daughter of Mr. Pat Curtin! Happy day!
While I didn’t get the chance to see Mr. Pat Curtin again before he sailed to Heaven, I feel so blessed to “see him” – his sense of humor, his work ethic, his intelligence — in his loving family. What a gift!
We all were lucky to have known Mr. Pat Curtin.
Beth Doyle, SPJC, Class of 1980
Pat Curtin was my grandfather. He was a big teddy bear to me. One thing that always stood out to me about him was how intentional he was during conversations. He would always ask questions. He wanted to know more. He wanted me to see the underlying value, or moral, or wisdom that could be realized. His choice of words was always thought through… a quality that I try to mirror.
The more we talked the more I realized how much substance there was to him. I never had him ‘figured out’. He was always a surprise. My granddad demanded your best at all times. And you didn’t want to let him down. Growing up, he was physically the tallest man I had ever seen (all men over 6’1 look like giants to kids), and when I look back he’s still just as tall in character. More of today’s men need to be like my granddad. He was loving. He was strong. He was a military force to be reckoned with.
And he was gentle and loving to the little ones he called his grandchildren. Thank you SPC for doing this.
A well deserved honor! 😊