Last weekend St. Thomas lost a cherished history professor and member of the community when Patricia (Pat) Howe, 71, died from pancreatic cancer.

Howe began her career with St. Thomas in the summer of 1990 when she became just the second woman history professor in school history.

“Pat Howe was a member of the generation of women who broke into academe when it was still pretty much an ‘Old Boy’s Club,’” said Scott Wright, professor emeritus and former history department chair. “She helped pave the way for those who came after her.”

Catherine Cory, history department chair, said that Howe will be remembered for her ambitious nature.

“She began her college teaching career at a time when the profession was still not very accepting of women,” Cory said. “She faced many obstacles to success, but she persevered and earned a reputation as an excellent scholar of European and French history.”

St. Thomas alumni Andy Leet will remember Howe as a professor who made a difference.

“Howe was one of my first teachers at St. Thomas,” Leet said. “She encouraged me to take the GRE in history. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have gone on to grad school.”

“She had an astounding ability to show us that any of us could do anything,” said Andy Franet, history tutor and former student. “The fact that I’ve been told that she thought highly of me was quite possibly the greatest compliment I have ever been given.”

Howe taught European history at St. Thomas, but her speciality was French history and the French Revolution. She also launched the history department’s Latin America course.

“She would often be teaching three history classes a semester when most professors usually only taught two,” Wright said. “She was very committed to her profession, to the department and her students.”

In 2008, Howe wrote a book titled “Foreign Policy and the French Revolution, 1789-1793.”

“She was an expert on diplomacy in France during the early 19th and 18th century,” history professor Anne Klejment said.

Howe was also passionate about her family and living an active lifestyle.

“I like to remember her as a real-life example of the Energizer bunny,” Cory said.

“Patricia was always talking about her daughter and her two ‘darling’ granddaughters,” Klejment said. “She was someone who was very active and loved to play tennis and golf. She was an aerobics queen.”

Colleagues will also remember Howe for her sense of humor.

“My office was right across from Dr. Howe’s, and she had a window and I didn’t,” Wright said. “We used to joke about the weather, and she would always give me a weather report like, ‘looks like it’s snowing today.’”

The history department is planning a memorial service and reception for Howe in early spring semester. Faculty, staff and students will be invited.

Olivia Cronin can be reached at cron2722@stthomas.edu.