Patricia KirkwoodScience Librarian and Assistant Professor
Home. The word can mean a lot of things. For Patricia Kirkwood (formerly O'Neill), "home" has been more a process, a seeking of place and meaning for many years. But now she's home and is enjoying the sense of security and direction that comes with it.
An Army brat born in Germany who lived at various times in Germany, France, and Washington, Patricia actually lived near the PLU campus off-and-on through fourth grade. Then her family moved to Yakima, where she lived until she became a student at PLU. Her mother was a PLU alum, so it wasn't hard to accept an early-decision enrollment.
Comfortable and memorable as her student years here were, though, it wasn't home yet. There were travels to be undertaken and choices to be made. Work as a chemist in Salt Lake City. The decision to become a librarian. A master's degree from the University of Illinois. Employment with Bell Research in New Jersey. Positions with Emory University in Atlanta and Cornell University in New York. Returning to the academic world was a coming home of sorts, but it wasn't yet truly home. Meanwhile, there was marriage to Charles O'Neill, then two children -- Joe (now 12 years old) and Rebecca (now 16).
Patricia prides herself in being a strong person with a strong faith that enabled her to persevere through a difficult childhood. In her church, family, and job she seeks balance, strength, and a sense of direction. But now, in returning to PLU and family, Patricia feels she has come home at last to build the relationships and affiliations that give her those comforts of mind we often associate with home. Even her pass-time of self-defined needlepoint is a coming home of sorts.
They say home is where the heart is. Patricia Kirkwood's heart is at PLU. So she must be home.