Reporters chase news stories...and job opportunities. That's how they make their way up the career ladder. And that's how Patsy got from her home state of Kentucky to the middle of Kansas.

After earning degrees in journalism and telecommunications from the University of Kentucky and starting her career there in Lexington as a radio and television news reporter, she was offered the opportunity to do news for Radio Kansas. At the time, Patsy saw the position with the Hutchinson-based public broadcasting station as a good stepping stone on her way to -- well, wherever the next move up might take her.

However, 23 years later, she's still here -- now executive director of Mental Health America of Reno County and basking in what she describes as the "comfortableness" of this area.

"I like the fact that Hutchinson has a real distinctiveness," Patsy says.
"I never want to live in the sameness of suburbia -- in a house that looks like all the other houses in the neighborhood, where everything smells new.
I want to live where there's some history." So she relishes her charming old two-story home in the Houston Whiteside Historic District. And she waxes sentimentally about the downtown area -- a Main Street lined with well-maintained buildings from the past, a growing antique district, and her favorite part, Avenue A Park.

There's a lot to be said for middle America according to Patsy as she ticks off some of her favorite aspects of living here such as the Kansas State Fair -- "one of the last great agricultural fairs...Americana at it's best!" Her list also includes the art deco Fox Theatre, the farmers' market, Quivera Wildlife Refuge, Sandhills State Park, and the public library. The library? "We have an exceptional public library. Wonderful collections of books. And it keeps pace with the latest technology."

But Patsy's enthusiasm really rises as she talks about the variety of cultural events here. "I love Cinco de Mayo and the art fair...the fourth of July parade and Mennonite Relief Sale...and all the programs brought in by our Arts and Humanities Council. I always get a lot out of the Martin Luther King celebration, the Emancipation Day festivities...and I rarely miss a Dillon Lecture." She also says the nearby Amish community and the area's Mennonite heritage "adds flavor".

Patsy is an accomplished artist and writer, and this creative side of her is particularly nourished by the nature of this area. "It's spacious, peaceful." And she is gratified by the blossoming art community: "There are some amazing artists here."

With all there is she appreciates about Reno County, she underscores it with "...and the cost of living is great!"

Return to Home Page