Betty Lockwood Legacy

Photos, from top: Betty coordinating one of the early Gala events. Center, Betty bringing her energy to one of the events she enjoyed supporting. Above, Coach Glenn Mattke and Betty at one of the Foundation ‘Jail and Bail’ fundraising events.

Elizabeth “Betty” Lockwood Dedicated to Southwest

The late Elizabeth “Betty” Patterson Strom Lockwood, a Slayton, Minnesota native, led a life characterized by strength, drive, and unconditional love.

From her many jobs both at Southwest Minnesota State University and in the community, she made an impact on those organizations and the people around her. She is a 1967 Charter Class enrollee at what was then Southwest Minnesota State College, and a 1984 alumna who earned a degree in Business Administration and Management. While at SMSU, Lockwood was a co-founder of Care-A-Lot Daycare and was the Foundation Director from 1989-1995. She served under four presidents: Douglas Treadway, Interim Gary DeCramer, Oliver Ford, and Douglas Sweetland.

Betty was known for being an ambitious, passionate, and hardworking woman in all aspects of her life. She passed away on February 23, 2012. She lost a long and courageous 20-year battle with cancer, after beating the disease on three separate occasions.

To honor her service to SMSU, the Elizabeth Lockwood SMSU Alumni and Visitor Center was named in her honor. It is located just across East College Drive, in a building partially gifted to the University by Pat McFarland.

“The Center will continue Betty’s legacy of hospitality and love of SMSU,” said Stacy Frost, Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Outreach. “The Lockwood family has been a recognized name in Marshall for years and the family has been generous in helping get the Center ready for opening,” she said. Lockwood Motors was founded in 1955.

The Elizabeth Lockwood SMSU Alumni and Visitor Center “will be the front door to the University,” said Frost. Alumni gatherings, reunions, receptions, and meetings will be held in the building. “It’s for everyone, not just alumni,” said Frost. “People can come and get information, a campus map, and our goal would be to bring people over to campus, time permitting.”

Alumni and friends of SMSU will be volunteer hosts when it’s in operation, said Frost. “We have had a lot of interest in that. It will be a very welcoming environment and a wonderful space for alumni, who have not had a dedicated space before.”

There is an endowed scholarship in Elizabeth Lockwood’s name through the SMSU Foundation. Bob Lockwood’s parents, Chester and Rena, also have a scholarship in their name through the Foundation. “The Lockwood family has been so supportive over the years, and the Alumni Center is the latest example of that support,” said Frost.

When you talk about Betty Lockwood’s legacy with family members, some common qualities are mentioned: compassionate, ambitious, integrity, and encouraging. Betty was a wife and mother of three sons: Nick, Chet, and Matt. She was a woman of action, holding many jobs and positions throughout her life — president of the National Association of Women Business Owners; Prairie Home Hospice; advocate for Hope Harbor; active member in her Presbyterian church; and a leader in an ABC (After Breast Cancer) group. Her ex-husband, Robert “Bob” Lockwood, described her as someone who approached her many roles with diligence, and who had a deep commitment to SMSU, and Marshall. “Betty was the type of person who could not just stay at home. She always wanted to get out and support others. She was the type of person that wanted to help in everything she was involved with,” said Bob Lockwood.

Her youngest son, Nick, remembers being at Care-A-Lot daycare when he was younger. “I felt like I ran the place because I grew up there,” he said. He recalls his mother being deeply rooted in the community, with a sincere concern about the well-being of everyone around her.

“I remember once my brother [Matt] cut his finger, so we walked to the emergency room. I called my dad, but couldn’t reach him. I called my mom, who was in a Foundation meeting. Before she picked up, she said, ‘They better be bleeding,’” he said with a chuckle.

“The University and the city of Marshall have a symbiotic relationship, both benefiting from each other,” said Nick Lockwood. “SMSU means a lot to my family, and we are blessed to be involved with a great institution that has such a great relationship with the city.”

Chet Lockwood remembers back in the early days of the Foundation, and its annual telethon to raise funds. “She would bring my brothers and me to the call center to get donations. We would compete, vying to see who could get the most donations.”

Hope Harbor is one of the many organizations Betty helped during her life, and one that was near and dear to her heart. Hope Harbor is a Christian non-profit organization focused on serving teens and restoring relations between their family members. Betty worked closely with Claudia Stenson, one of the founders of Hope Harbor.

“Betty had a strong compassion for promoting women and showing that they were extremely capable of doing anything. She loved her family and friends and everyone she encountered. I am so blessed to have known her and been her friend,” said Stenson. She remembers Betty being a great mentor, motivator, encourager, “and a whole lot of fun!”

Betty was ever the optimist and battled her cancer with a positive mindset and perspective. Although she had many internalized emotions during her cancer struggles, she never let those emotions dampen her passion for life, and the way she lived her life. She is remembered as a woman who advocated for education, women’s rights, and the community of Marshall.

“My mother loved welcoming people and having a good time,” said Chet. “She took pride in all her accomplishments and in the work she was doing. Having her name on the alumni building would have meant the world to her. I only hope we are still making her proud.”

Above, Betty pictured with her family upon her graduation in 1984: Bob, Betty, Nick, Chet, and Matt. Below, the building that now bears her name—The Elizabeth Lockwood SMSU Alumni and Visitor Center.