NOW: Pat retired from ASU at the end of 2014. Since that time she has been enjoying her three grandchildren, traveling abroad and in the US, serving with several local organizations, gardening and writing.
Herstory...
While serving as the Director of Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University in 2002, Dr. Pat Beaver was invited by Sue Counts, then the Watauga County Cooperative Extension Director to join Farm-City committee. The committee organized for the purpose of “celebrating the ties between local farmers and townspeople, culminating in an awards banquet,” Dr. Beaver explained. Dr. Beavers’ willingness to serve on this committee along with experiences in her Appalachian Culture and Social Organization class that same year led to her becoming an integral part of a small group of women who said, it’s time to do more for our women farmers and thus, began the humble beginnings of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.
