“When all is said and done, there’s no place under the sun that I would rather be from than this little town called Covington.” (From This Little Town Called Covington, a poem by Pat Clanton, 1983).
Pat Clanton
by Karen Gibbs
Above: 4th of July picnic in Bogue Falaya Park in the late ’90s. Inset: Pat was radiant as a student at Covington High School.
IF YOU WANT TO GET PAT CLANTON TALKING, ask her about Covington—but don’t expect her to stop talking any time soon. She’s absolutely in love with her hometown—and has more than 91 years of great memories to prove it. From theater to motherhood, promotional work to civil servant, preservationist to poet, third-generation Covington native Patricia Fuhrman Clanton has devoted her life to the city. Quite fittingly, in recognition of her outstanding contributions, Parish President Mike Cooper recently awarded Pat Clanton the 2020 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. As news of the honor spread, one could almost hear a collective cheer rising throughout the city. Everybody loves “Miss Pat,” and a look at her amazing life will explain why. A daughter of Pauline and Sidney Fuhrman, Pat grew up in a family that valued the arts. At three, she made her debut at her father’s Majestic Theater
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singing Donkey Serenade and dancing with her sister, Rosemerry. “I was a little kid with a big voice,” she says, a nostalgic smile gracing her face. A graduate of Covington High School, Pat attended Southeastern Louisiana University, where she met the love of her life, Richard Clanton. They were married in 1950, in the picturesque Christ Episcopal Chapel. In the early years, Richard taught elementary school in Mandeville while Pat worked at Citizens Bank. When sons Patrick and Brandon were born, however, Pat became a stay-at-home mom. Brandon recalls his mother’s exuberance: “When people are with my Mama, they go away happy. She has that gift.” Once the boys were in junior high, Pat returned to the workforce, welcoming newcomers and touting life in Covington—a perfect fit! As Patrick says, “My mother’s always been an ambassador of the city.” Pat’s next job, working with the Chamber of Commerce, was likewise tailor made. Noting
photos courtesy: PAT CLANTON
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
