Niagara College president emeritus Dan Patterson couldn’t resist visiting the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus named for him last Friday afternoon.
He was supposed to wait until the Monday afternoon dedication ceremony for the new Saundra Patterson Memorial Garden in the upper courtyard facing the Niagara Escarpment.
“I was so embarrassed,” he told The Local Monday. “I came over like a little kid. I had to see what was going on. My jaw dropped because they had planted all these mums with their rich colours all wrapped around the garden. It was spectacular.”
Carrie Zimmerman, Niagara’s landscape program coordinator who oversaw the student-designed and -built project, wasn’t surprised to see the beloved president, who served in that role for 25 years, show up early.
“He was involved throughout the process,” she explained. “There was this one moment this summer where there were piles of gravel and bricks all over the place, he said ‘Carrie, I don’t know’, and I reminded him he had to wait for it to all come together. For him to show up last week to see all the details pulled together, there were a few tears. His expression was overwhelming.”
Known informally as The First Lady of Niagara College, Saundra Patterson was often seen on campus alongside her husband, attending many events every year and almost every single convocation during his tenure as president.
Saundra had a special affinity for the landscape and horticultural departments at the college, both housed at the NOTL campus. In fact, Zimmerman joked that each year when they were preparing for their annual plant sale in the campus greenhouse, she only knew they were ready to open their doors once Saundra had toured and given her nod of approval.
The couple’s central St. Catharines home features a beautiful backyard garden overlooking a ravine. Saundra meticulously tended to the space where their daughter Christine got married this past summer.
Dan retired from the college in late 2019, and Saundra lost a battle with cancer in January, 2021.
In March that year, the college announced plans to honour Saundra’s memory through the creation of a dedicated memorial garden, led by Niagara’s School of Environment and Horticulture along with staff from the teaching greenhouse.
Since then, a total of $89,000 in donations was raised, $50,000 of which went toward the new garden, the rest earmarked to support students through the Saundra Patterson Horticultural Bursary Fund. Monday’s unveiling was also a chance to thank those who donated to the project.
Current college president Sean Kennedy spoke of Saundra’s importance to the Niagara College family over the years.
“We each had a connection with her in different ways,” Kennedy told the gathering. “I have so many fond memories of being in her presence as she talked to students on campus. Saundra had high standards, and was incredibly caring and compassionate. She and Dan had an incredible commitment to building community and bringing people together. Those traits are truly reflected in this garden that is a labour of love.”
More than 150 students worked alongside staff throughout the past year, involving over three semesters of study. Zimmerman says it was planned to accommodate different departments at different stages to correlate with their curriculum. She adds that the design of the project came from a student as well, Alice Lee.
“We chose Alice’s design”, Zimmerman said, “as we wanted to choose someone who had a real passion for design, as well as someone who had a good idea that this was not to be just a place for our students, but also a reflection of who Saundra was. She was that key student who captured both of those elements of the garden.”
“The end result is something that I know Saundra would be so pleased by,” Kennedy continued. “It maintains the highest standards. It’s an act truly of caring and compassion. And it brings people together. I have had the pleasure every day of seeing students taking a moment to reflect and decompress here. It truly continues Saundra’s legacy.”
Zimmerman explained that the beautiful voluminous chrysanthemums currently lining all corners of the memorial garden will eventually be replaced with bulbs. They will blossom as tulips and daffodils next spring. Future students at the college will experience the space as a practical way to apply the skills learned in their courses.
“This student-driven project, built out of love, has created a living legacy,” Patterson said. “It will grow far into the future as a testament to the power of nature to teach and enrich lives. Saundra would be so proud to know that her spirit and work will be always remembered in this incredible world-class teaching garden. I know she is shouting ‘Bravo!’ from above.”
Though Patterson says he will definitely not be like the lead character in the 1939 film Goodbye Mr. Chips, he admits that Kennedy and maybe some of the students may see a little bit more of him around campus now that the garden is completed.
“I will constantly visit and tend to the garden here at the college,” he laughed. “I will make sure, though, to visit mostly on the weekends, so as not to interrupt the flow of learning. To be able to come here and to reflect is so special and inspiring to me.”
