When Patty Lechner first stepped onto Carroll College's campus in 1955, she was an 18-year-old from Sheridan, Wyoming, chasing a dream of becoming a nurse. She didn't know anyone in Helena, and with limited family resources, attending college was only possible because of a Carroll scholarship. What she couldn't have known at the time was that the decision to attend Carroll would shape every chapter of her life—for the next 71 years and counting.
Patty and her late-husband, Ted, has supported Carroll College every year for the past 60 years through the Saints Scholarship Fund, creating a legacy of generosity that reflects not only her gratitude for the education she received, but also her unwavering belief that every student deserves the opportunity to experience the life-changing education Carroll provides.
Her path through Carroll was unique. After completing her first year on campus, she continued the nursing program through clinical training in Billings, where the demanding schedule of student nursing left little time to remain connected with college life. When she later received a grant to return to Carroll and complete her bachelor's degree in nursing education, she eagerly accepted.
Returning to campus felt like coming home.
Looking back on a remarkable 62-year career in nursing, Patty credits Carroll with preparing her for a lifetime of caring for others.
"I stayed with what Carroll had sent me away with," she reflected—a simple statement that speaks volumes about the values and education she carried throughout her professional life.
Carroll also gave Patty something she never expected: the love of her life.
While finishing her bachelor's degree, she met fellow student Ted Lechner. The two married in 1961 at the Cathedral shortly before Ted graduated from Carroll. Patty fondly remembers him as "a Carroll man" with extraordinary character. Together they built a family rooted in the values they both discovered during their years at Carroll.
That connection continues today through their children. Their oldest son, David Lechner, graduated from Carroll with a degree in biology and now serves on the College's Board of Trustees, continuing the family's commitment to serving the institution that has meant so much to them.
Patty's support of Carroll began modestly. Her first gifts in the early 1960s were about ten dollars—simply what she could afford at the time. As the years passed, her giving grew alongside her ability to give. Today, even in retirement, she continues contributing each year to the Saints Scholarship Fund, helping make a Carroll education possible for future generations of students.
For Patty, every gift has the same purpose: ensuring future students have the same opportunities she was given.
She worries about the challenges facing higher education and understands that colleges across the country face increasing pressures. Her hope is that Carroll will continue thriving for generations to come, offering scholarships that make a Carroll education possible and attracting the exceptional faculty who make the College so special.
Her love for Carroll is deeply personal.
Now 89 years old, Patty describes the College as "a part of my soul." She says Carroll is "part of who I am, part of my thinking, part of why I exist day to day." It is more than an alma mater—it is the place where she found her vocation, built lifelong friendships, met her husband, and discovered a purpose that continues to inspire her decades later.
When asked why she continues to give after 65 consecutive years, Patty's answer is rooted in gratitude.
She wants today's students to experience the same life-changing education that transformed her own. Through the Saints Scholarship Fund, she has spent more than six decades investing in students she may never meet, believing that the opportunity she was given should continue for generations to come.
Her story reminds us that philanthropy isn't measured only in the size of a gift. Sometimes, its greatest impact is found in consistency—in showing up year after year, decade after decade, believing that your investment can change lives.
For 65 years, Patty Lechner has done exactly that.
Patty often says she intends to "continue to give back to Carroll what they have given to me." After more than six decades of faithful support, there is no clearer definition of a Carroll legacy than that.
Gifts to the Saints Scholarship Fund, in any amount, help make a Carroll College education possible for students who need it most — just like the scholarship that first brought Patty Lechner to campus in 1955.
