Chemistry alums give back to WSU through support locker

Though Pat ’75 and Elaine McCarty ’75 have moved across the country – from Wichita to New Mexico, Kentucky, Michigan and Florida – the alums have stayed closely connected to their alma mater. “After all, without Wichita State, our lives would be totally different,” Pat, chemistry alum, says.

Pat graduated from Wichita Heights High School and attended WSU to study chemistry. “That’s actually how I met Elaine, in our chemistry class,” he says.

Laughing, he adds, “The old joke is, we just had great chemistry.”

The couple was married in 1974 in the Grace Memorial Chapel on campus. After graduation, they worked as medical technologists at Ascencion Via Christi St. Francis. Later, Pat worked at KMPT USA, a German manufacturing company, from which he retired as company president. Elaine also began a second career as an elementary schoolteacher.

As a teacher, Elaine saw firsthand the challenges – and risks – posed by food insecurity. “She saw with some of her students that if you come to school hungry, you really can’t focus on anything else,” Pat says. “Your stomach growls, and you’re thinking about how hungry you are instead of paying attention to your studies.”

The McCartys are avid supporters of the Kiah Duggins Shocker Support Locker on campus. “We first heard about the locker during COVID. During that time, a lot of students really depended on the locker for food, especially if they couldn’t travel or lacked access to transportation,” Pat says. “We just thought it was a great resource.”

This year, the couple has established a dollar-for-dollar matching gift of $1,000 for the locker with the hopes that others will join in supporting this essential resource. “Whether you’re in grade school, high school or college, it’s just not possible to focus on studying if you’re worried about where your next meal is coming from,” he says. “We believe that food insecurity should not be a concern for anyone.”

For the alums, supporting Wichita State isn’t just about giving back, but paying opportunities forward. “Our time at WSU completely changed our lives for the better,” Pat says. “We’re glad to play our part in helping students today.”

Join the McCartys in helping alleviate food insecurity on campus with a gift to the Shocker Support Locker.