A Celebration of Life
On Saturday, January 31, we lost a dear colleague and lifetime friend and
advocate of the AORE. Patsy Kott, an AORE founder and the first Director
of the Outdoor Adventure Program at Texas A&M University passed away
peacefully, surrounded by friends and family. For the many members who
knew Patsy, and for all of us who have the opportunity to work in this
profession, you’ll be comforted to know that her positive spirit never
wavered.
Patsy started attending the national outdoor conference in 1990, before
we became an association. Her smile, adventurous spirit and willingness to
help will be remembered by countless students and colleagues. Patsy was
the kind of person you could talk to for hours about programs, adventures,
student development and community service.
From 1991 to 1993, Patsy volunteered to serve on the Future Directions
Committee with several leaders in the outdoor recreation profession. The
task of this committee was to assess the need and the potential design an
association that would provide continuing education and become the voice
of the profession on issues of resource area access, stewardship of wild
lands and professional standards for outdoor recreation and education.
The Committee’s work led to founding the Association of Outdoor
Recreation and Education (AORE) in 1993, and Patsy Kott was a major contributor in the process of developing and then governing our
fledgling association.
Since that time, Patsy served the Association in many roles as a mentor, presenter, conference host, board member, officer, and committee
chair. In each role Patsy exceeded the expectations of her peers and provided educational opportunities for students and colleagues to grow
and learn.
Patsy also developed the Outdoor Adventure program in the Department of Recreational Sports when she was an intramural coordinator at
Texas A&M in 1985. Throughout her career at A&M up to her retirement in 2013, Patsy employed hundreds of students and mentored
numerous professionals, including Past President, Jason Kurten.
Her personal travels took her to every continent except Antarctica and from adventure to adventure. Her lust for life and love of humanity and
new experiences could not be quenched. This past year, knowing her time was drawing to a close, she successfully completed a trip to Israel,
Palestine, Alaska and back to India. A model of servant leadership, Patsy was also an active volunteer in her community; for her church, the
Eels on Wheels SCUBA program, environmental sustainability efforts, Habitat for Humanity and various community service projects.
Patsy Kott is a pioneering leader in outdoor recreation and education, not only as a caring and nurturing professional for countless Texas A &
M students, but also as an industry leader who had significant, lasting and positive impacts on the profession. As a woman in a field dominated
by men in the ‘90’s, Patsy paved the way for hundreds of women in the outdoor recreation and education profession today. In 2009, Patsy was
presented with the Jim Rennie Leadership Award by the AORE, to honor her career achievements and lifetime commitment to outdoor
recreation and education.
We will miss you dear friend, but we’ll remember your joy in seeing students and young professionals develop a passion for outdoor recreation
and education. We will remember your kind and caring ways. We will remember how you could take a stand and make a point with your firm
but gentle manner.
In celebration of Patsy Kott’s amazing and adventurous life, I encourage you to go outside and take a deep breath of fresh air. Take a few
moments to think about the students and professionals who have had an impact on your life. Make a list, so you can thank them. Think of all
the wonderful opportunities we have to make a difference in our: programs, association and communities. Then make a bucket list of things
you can do.
If you would like to make a donation to recognize and support organizations that were near and dear to Patsy, please choose from the
following:
Texas A&M University Department of Recreational Sports Scholarship Fund, payable to TAMU Foundation, Patsy Kott on memo line. Send
to James Welford, 4250 TAMU, 202 Student Rec Center, College Station, TX 78758
AORE 1100 North Main St. Suite 111, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Eels on Wheels, 11900 Metric, Suite J-155, Austin, TX 78758
Friends of Congregational Church, 2200 Southwood Drive, College Station, TX 77845
Tim Moore
AORE Past President
Executive Director, Boston University
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