facultynews
A New Adventure by caitlin Probandt
Dr. Fred Stevens and his wife, Pat Chastain have retired from academic life and are setting out on new adventures.
The couple, who moved to Kerrville to work for Schreiner in 1977, met while they were in graduate school at the University of Texas. Stevens, former professor of biology, earned a master’s degree in zoology and Chastain was working on her doctorate in Spanish at the time. “I remember meeting Pat through friends while I lived in Jester dorm,” Stevens said. “We got married in 1976 and moved to Kerrville in 1977. The first three years we lived in Delaney Hall.” When Stevens and Chastain arrived, Schreiner still was a twoyear school, and when it gained four-year accreditation Stevens was able to go back for his doctorate in science education at U.T. “I initiated the first science major by introducing the biology major in the 1980s,” he said. “When I first got to Schreiner, I was the only biology faculty. It worked for a little while—I would just office in the lab and trade out carts for each class. I had it down to a science—everything
Photo: Dr. Fred Stevens and Pat Chastain get ready to start another adventure in Wisconsin.
I needed on one cart for each class.” Chastain, who started her career at Schreiner in student affairs and as a resident director of Delaney Hall, said the opportunities at Schreiner were too good to miss out on. “I was 26 years old when we moved to Kerrville,” she said. “Oh, man, it was a big change from the cities I’d lived in for years, but after a while we both fell in love with the town, the school and the students.” Chastain’s part-time job in student affairs evolved into a full-time position in which she managed career development, student orientation, was involved in LSS tutoring and oversaw the work study program. In 2001, Chastain retired to take care of her parents, but was asked to come back and teach Spanish. “It has been a very good thing. I’d love to teach part-time if I were ever going to be in Kerrville for an entire term.” Throughout the years, Stevens and Chastain have seen many changes at Schreiner. They have witnessed the remodeling of buildings, staff and faculty changes and the transition from a two-year
college to a four-year university. They also have made many special friends and connections throughout the years, which is one of the reasons they plan to stay in Kerrville for their retirement. “We’ll be splitting time between Wisconsin and Kerrville,” Chastain said. “We want to stay active, read and do a little more traveling. It has been wonderful at Schreiner, but I’m looking forward to a little more flexibility with time. We’re both still healthy and we plan to work up a bucket list.” The pair has plenty to keep them occupied this summer, including spending time with family and visiting their cabin in Wisconsin. Although they know it is tough to say goodbye to Schreiner, Stevens and Chastain are ready for some downtime. “I knew what I wanted to do— teach and conduct small research projects—when I was young, and Schreiner was a great place for that,” Stevens said. “I love Schreiner because it isn’t like big universities. I loved the teaching aspect, liked the subject and loved helping students. It is just time to go.”
www.schreiner.edu Summer 2013 11