Patricia “Pat” Klingenstein — a dedicated friend and supporter of Teachers College — died on Feb. 11 at the age of 93.
Pat, together with her late husband John, established the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Teachers College in 1977, creating the first university-based center dedicated to independent schools. An embodiment of the family's deep appreciation for educators and independent school education, the Center's mission was and remains to prepare independent school teachers and administrators for adept and authentic leadership. Today, the Center has served more than 4,200 educators who have gone on to teach and lead around the world, striving to create school communities where all members can learn, grow, and thrive.
“Pat Klingenstein’s generous spirit reflected her own steadfast belief that the world could be better, and she inspired us all in the process,” President Thomas Bailey said of Klingenstein, whose service to the College included many years on the Klingenstein Center Advisory Board. “Independent school leaders and educators across the globe are making a difference in the lives of young people every day due to Pat and her family, and Pat and her cherished husband John’s impact will continue through this very work.”
Pat Klingenstein and the late Pearl Rock Kane, the first director of the Klingenstein Center, at the Center's 40th anniversary celebration. (Photo: TC Archives)
The Klingensteins are the most generous donors in TC’s history. Their passion for supporting excellence and advancement in independent education was cultivated through their leadership of the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, which John served as President for 40 years in addition to serving on TC’s Board of Trustees for 35 years.
“Pat truly saw the profession of education as a calling, and she believed that each person who pursued it had their own path and purpose — which she always championed with her whole heart,” said Nicole Brittingham Furlonge, Director of the Klingenstein Center. “That belief — that we each have a purpose we are destined to fulfill — was modeled in the work she did at the Klingenstein Center, the New York Historical Society, and the other places to which she dedicated her life and attention.”
The Klingenstein Advisory Board meeting on campus in 2018. (Photo: TC Archives)
Pat’s own interest in philanthropy was inspired by her parents, Harry and Sadie Davis, who provided grassroots support to children’s health efforts through their very own foundation, now part of Klingenstein Philanthropies.
After graduating from Smith College in 1951, Pat dedicated herself to important philanthropic causes including the New York Historical Society, the New York Public Library, the Junior League and the arts. Through her work at Teachers College, Klingenstein impacted thousands of educators.
“Pat and her late husband John were not only generous with time and funding, but also together they brought a warm and wise perspective when they interacted with educators at the Center. In a culture that too frequently disparages those who teach, Pat valued the work of teachers and treated them with respect and palpable admiration for their work with children,” says Stephanie Lipkowitz, an alumna of the Klingenstein Center and a member of its Advisory Board. “Pat took her support of the Center personally and worked to support the team as the program leaders sought to reach more educators at every step of their careers.”
Pat was a gracious presence at Klingenstein Advisory Board Meetings - an attentive and eager learner, an active questioner, and an ardent supporter of teachers. She delighted in learning about the extensive impact on schools brought about by her family’s extraordinary investment in the professional lives of educators.
During college, Pat met her late husband John, to whom she was married to for 66 years. She is survived by her four children — Andy, chairman and CEO of Klingenstein Philanthropies and a former member of the Klingenstein Center Advisory Board; Tom; Sally; and Nancy Simpkins, a member of the Klingenstein Center's Advisory Board since 1989 and member of the Teachers College Board of Trustees since 2013 — as well as her daughter-in-law Julie, 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
During her life, Pat reflected on her work at TC when celebrating the Center’s 30th anniversary: “Everyone is enthusiastic about the Klingenstein Center, and proud of it. This is the cornerstone — the love of our life.”