Patrick J. O’Connor is the lead consultant for Life-Long Learning Connection (L3C). He designs and conducts most of the services associated with L3C. He is also associated with several consultants and trainers who specialize in other learning-related subjects. He has leveraged his many years of scholarly experience in higher education to work with organizations to improve employee performance. He has served on the faculty at Kent State University, The University of Georgia, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and New River Community College. In addition, he is an active marketing, training and leadership consultant to business and educational organizations. He is the author of two collegiate marketing textbooks and numerous professional journal articles and monographs, the You Know America book series and “Meet Me at Rays; a celebration of 75 years of Ray’s Place in Kent Ohio”. He also writes a feature column for aroundKent Magazine titled “The Road Less Traveled”. His bachelor and master degrees are from Bowling Green State University and his doctorate is from Virginia Tech. He and his wife, Susan, have four adult children. They reside in Kent, Ohio.
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
Social capital is a set of shared values and resources that allow individuals to work together to effectively achieve a common purpose. It is commonly used to describe members of a community who live harmoniously and in unison. Social capital includes charity, philanthropy, and the many types of volunteering people do. Most charitable giving (81%) is done by individuals. Foundations (14%) and corporations (5%) contribute the rest.
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
in honor of the 2022 baseball All Star game, here’s an amazing baseball story. In late September 1993, we attended one of the very last Cleveland Indians home games at the historic Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This was right before the joint was demolished after some 70 years of hosting various sporting, music, concerts, and other entertainment events. Originally, the famed stadium was built to host the 1932 Olympics but lost out to Los Angeles and the LA Coliseum.
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
One common characteristic of Road Less Traveled (RLT) subjects is their community involvement and contribution to others….often those most in need. They do this incognito with little fanfare or attention. And they like it that way. Often their community service is an extension of their careers. In some ways there is a very fine line between their personal and professional lives.
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
Frances Mae Resik Rottman joined her many departed family members and friends on April 24, 2022. She received an appropriate and well earned send off on April 30. Four generations of relatives and friends mourned and celebrated together. It was a stunning turnout for someone who lived 95 amazing years. As often happens at such times, an unexpected event comforted those attending. A poem/prayer she read each day was found by her daughter. The poem and the origin of it follow the eulogy delivered at her service. Her life was chronicled in her Road Less Traveled, The Last Dreamer, which appeared in AroundKent magazine in fall, 2018 (vol.16), which can be read after the Eulogy.
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
Ground Hog Day has been a big celebration in this part of the US since 1887. Each Feb 2 people turn their attention to this big rodent to see if they can get a sense for what the weather will be like in the next six weeks. It’s part of our “prediction culture” which is so prevalent in this country. We seem obsessed with trying to predict outcomes of everything from sporting events to the stock market to elections to the weather.
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
This edition of the Road Less Traveled features wisdom from subjects featured in aroundKent Magazine. Wisdom is a quality or concept most people have grown accustomed to hearing. It is often associated with people who have lived long, successful lives. It is difficult to describe as it is one of those “you know it when you see or hear it” qualities. Most people know and have known people they describe as wise and seek their wisdom. But what exactly is wisdom?
Patrick O'Connor, Ed.D.
This edition of the Road Less Traveled features a summary of all subjects featured in aroundKent Magazine based in Kent, Ohio. 16 subjects have shared their Roads with me. It has been a pleasure and honor to learn from them and chronicle their success. They are indeed a rare alumni group. A summary of the first eight subjects was the basis of Travel Tips from the Road Less Traveled (Vol.11).
