A Tribute to Patrick T. Raven

Wisconsin’s language teaching community bid farewell to a legend in August 2021 when WAFLT Past President and former CSCTFL Executive Director Patrick Raven passed away after a brief illness. Throughout his remarkable career in the classroom, as a world language consultant in educational publishing, and finally as the CSCTFL Executive Director, Patrick was an ardent advocate for the ongoing professional development of world language teachers.

After teaching German for one year at St. John Cathedral High School in Milwaukee, Patrick served as a teacher and curriculum coordinator in the School District of Waukesha for 22 years. In 2018, Joyce Cupertino wrote, “I met Patrick in 1991 when he was the Foreign Language Department Chair for the Waukesha Public School District. As we talked, I realized how dedicated he was to the promotion of foreign language in the school district. During our department meetings, he showed a lot of eagerness to any ideas that we teachers shared. He had a gift of bringing out the best in his teachers and making sure that foreign language was an essential part of the Waukesha curriculum.”

Even after Patrick left the classroom, his enthusiasm for language teaching and learning was still plainly apparent to anyone he met. Friends and colleagues alike remember him fondly for his eye for detail, his commitment to excellence, and his tireless work ethic. Patrick embodied the concept of servant leadership. His dedication to the CSCTFL organization was extraordinary, managing the board, the exhibitors, the hotels, and anyone else involved with a finesse that made his countless hours of work seem effortless to outside observers. In supporting Patrick’s nomination for the CSCTFL Founders Award in 2018, Emily Spinelli stated, “He has worked tirelessly to help improve world language education in Wisconsin and throughout the Central States region. His outstanding directorship of CSCTFL, his numerous presentations and workshops, his scholarly activity, and his ongoing commitment to the professional development of teachers attest to his worthiness.” Over the course of his career, Patrick received several awards for his teaching and service, including the WAFLT Distinguished Language Educator Award, CSCTFL Founders Award, and Excellence in Publishing Award from Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Longtime friend and CSCTFL colleague Sarah Shackleford states, “His foremost priorities were always our profession’s common cause and the support and empowerment of others rather than himself.” Complementing these qualities were his rich sense of humor and his stalwart devotion to his wife Mary, his children, Elizabeth and Thomas, and his six grandchildren.

Before he passed away, Patrick requested that donations in his memory be directed to WAFLT. To honor Patrick’s legacy and his commitment to professional development for all language teaching professionals, as well as his deep connections to both WAFLT and CSCTFL, in September 2021 the WAFLT Executive Board established the Patrick T. Raven CSCTFL Professional Development Scholarship. This scholarship reimburses the registration fees for two qualified WAFLT members to attend CSCTFL each year.

WAFLT is proud to honor Patrick Raven's zeal for professional development and continued learning through this scholarship in his name. Through his service and his loved ones' generosity, his legacy will be intertwined with WAFLT and CSCTFL for many years to come.

Sources: https://csctfl.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/The2018Fo undersAward.pdf https://www.jsonline.com/obituaries/mjs048753