Sister Mary Patricia Plumb Retires

Over the summer, Sister Mary Patricia Plumb, SNJM A’55 announced her plans to retire — news perhaps more surprising than the onset of coronavirus. A member of the Academy community since the late ’40s when she arrived as a 4th-grade student, her name is synonymous with the school and her spirit a part of it.

At the age of 12, Sr. Mary Patricia felt her calling first to be a teacher, and then to become a Sister of the Holy Names. Sr. Laurent Marie, her teacher for four of her years at the Academy, was a friend and mentor to Sr. Mary Patricia. The two kept in touch even after Sr. Laurent Marie moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, and eventually to Africa.

After graduating from the Academy in 1955, Sr. Mary Patricia entered the novitiate and began her studies at St. Bonaventure University. She continued her studies at Barry University in Miami, and earned a master’s degree at the University of South Florida. She also took courses at the University of Florida and the University of Notre Dame.

Sr. Mary Patricia’s roles in education spanned many areas, beyond just the Academy. She also taught in Albany and Liverpool, New York, as well as St. Cecilia’s in Clearwater, where she was also a vice principal and principal. At the Academy, she served as a teacher, including at Boys Academy, vice principal and campus minister.

Though she loved teaching, Sr. Mary Patricia’s greatest passions were speech and debate — she earned seventh diamond as a National Speech & Debate Association coach and is a member of the organization’s Hall of Fame — and campus ministry. For those who were part of her NFL road trips, Sr. Mary Patricia is adamant that any rumors about her driving are not true. She recalls memories of students painting houses in Mississippi from the tops of vans because ladders were missing, and how she enjoyed seeing missionaries become friends with those they served.

Her love for the Academy will be part of Sr. Mary Patricia’s legacy. She credits the school for respecting students and meeting them where they are, and for not rejecting people based on who they are or where they came from. She says the Academy is a school where justice is the way to go, and she offers this advice for future generations: “Respect yourself and others. Live justly. Walk humbly. Get involved. Try something new. Don’t give up. The Academy has so much to offer.”

For those who worked with her, Sr. Mary Patricia’s emails will always be remembered — one knew she meant business if the text was all capitalized and in bold. So to you, Sr. Mary Patricia, WE LOVE YOU. BE GOOD.