PATRICK SHEEHY (’65) ALUMNI PROFILE
A Story for the Ages by Tony Schad (’81)
LEFT Sheehy today looking over class yearbook. BELOW 1965 Senior photo
He doesn’t like debt. He pays cash for everything. That was one reason Patrick Sheehy ’65 marked the year of his 50th class reunion with a full tuition gift to St. Xavier. Patrick Sheehy (’65) lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife Meredith, who he proudly mentions is his lifelong souvenir from a tour of duty on the Hawaiian Islands. They have two grown children; his daughter, now a nurse, went to Sacred Heart in Louisville. His son who has a degree in computer technology and is a web-developer, played football against the Bombers for the Trinity High Shamrocks. However, Pat said he wore a St. X hat and cheered for the Bombers because he will “always be a Bomber!” He has enjoyed an incredible life in the service of our country working 31 years as the Asst. Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service for the state of Kentucky. He helped protect Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Mr. Sheehy even had an interesting trip to China with former first lady “Lady Bird” Johnson, during which his plane had an emergency landing at a Chinese military base where no English was spoken. He had a fascinating career. He grew up in Walnut Hills and went to St. Rose in the East End for first through sixth grade. His family moved to Anderson Township and he went to Guardian Angels for seventh and eighth grades. He thought he was going to McNicholas. McNick is where most of his classmates would go. “They had girls, so naturally that was where I wanted to be!” However his dad went to St. X downtown, and although his father had to leave St. X early to serve in the war, that is where his dad asserted he would go. Patrick is grateful to this day for his dad’s decision to send him to St. X.
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S T. X A V I E R H I G H S C H O O L M A G A Z I N E
WINTER 2015
Three weeks prior to the beginning of his senior year, his father was tragically killed in a car accident coming home from work. Times were very lean in the Sheehy household. His mother met with then Principal Fr. John Beckman SJ and informed him that Pat was going to need to transfer to Anderson High School. Fr. Beckman told Pat’s mom he wanted Pat to finish his four years at St. X and worked out a way for the full amount of his tuition to be paid. It was $300. That was a lot of money in 1964. So, for Sheehy, that was from where his “debt” originated. As Patrick said, “The successful career I had would not have been possible without the education, discipline, training and molding I received from the Jesuits and St. Xavier High School.” He remembers being in Fr. Graf’s algebra class with friends Denny Pellman and Bob Ritter. He learned from legendary St. X faculty such as Doc Brennan, Don Dilg, Coach Behrens, James Dusablon, Karl Hauck and more. He said, “Going to UC was easy compared to St. X.” For this reason Patrick repaid his tuition debt many times over by giving a gift to St. X in the amount of full tuition ($12,850) for this school year. His message is simple. “High school is a formative age. I credit a lot of my success in life to my four years at St. X. If you got a lot out of your St. X education and you are in a position to give back to St. X you should do it. It will make you feel good. I know I feel better for making this gift.” We thank Patrick for not only his financial support but for sharing his story. Even if he maintains it ‘is not much of a story.” We respectfully disagree. It is a story for the ages.