It has been more than ten years since Pat joined Tom Wilcox and Margot Heyerhoff to found the Massawippi Foundation.

 

Like them, Pat stayed on for the long run, but in June, she is stepping back to focus on new projects, including the launch of her first book, Autobiography of a Garden.

Pat grew up in Virginia, in a family that loved to travel. While in university she spent a year abroad, studying philosophy at the University of London and revelling in the heyday of London in the 60’s, when the Beatles and Carnaby Street were all the rage. Before returning home, she travelled to Greece where she met Norman Webster, her future Canadian husband.Norman was a journalist. In the late 1960’s, he was offered the job in Beijing as the Globe and Mail’s correspondent. When he asked Pat if she wanted to go, she said YES! They and their three little boys spent two years there as part of a small community of diplomats. Later, with five children, the family lived three years in England and in various cities in Canada.
A world traveller, blogger, author, wife and mother, an American who gave up her citizenship to become a Canadian, Pat adopted the Eastern Townships and North Hatley like a native. “There is something about this place that grabs you in a deep way. It is hard to put a finger on it, but it is there.”She and her family spent summer holidays in North Hatley. Year after year, she explored the woods, following deer paths and making her own, using the lake as her compass point. Standing at Black Point, she could see only two cottages on the west side of the lake, and almost no houses on the east.

One day, taking a new path, she happened upon a road carved into the side of the mountain. This scar on the landscape made her realize that the pristine forests could be ruined. “You don’t want to keep people out, but you feel that something precious is being changed in a negative way. You want to protect it.”In 1996, Pat and Norman bought Glen Villa, the place where she now lives full time. She began to develop the garden around the house and to think about the land more deeply, over time creating what is now a landscape with art installations that explore ideas about history, memory and our relationship to nature.  “Each of us leaves a mark on the world we are part of, and it is up to us to decide what kind of mark that will be.”

She supported the goals of the Massawippi Foundation and the Massawippi Conservation Trust from the outset and was an enthusiastic supporter for the network of trails. “People who experience the forest come to love it, and the trails get them out there. It is hard to name but once they are in the woods, they sense the ‘specialness’ of the place. “

As a grandmother with 11 grandchildren, Pat is delighted that the Foundation is finally able to offer an education program for students.  Designed to teach children about the environment in the protected, outdoor setting of the trails, the program will start in the fall. “I am confident that the program will meet its goal of helping young people develop a real love for the environment. I hope that in a few years we will be able to expand the program to include family activities and programs for adults.”

A life of experiences, looking at the world through the eyes of others, has led Pat to acknowledge the importance of the landscape we all share. Now that the Massawippi Foundation is on terra firma, she is ready to move on to new projects, including the launch of her new book in July. It’s called Autobiography of a Garden. Published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. It will be available through fine bookstores everywhere or online through McGill-Queen’s University Press and other reliable sources. She will also be opening the garden at Glen Villa to the public this summer as a fund-raiser for the Massawippi Foundation. Dates for these open garden days are June 25, July 23, August 20, and October 1. Tickets cost $25/per person and must be booked in advance through Pat’s website, www.glenvillaartgarden.com

The Massawippi Foundation Board would like to thank Patterson Webster for her devotion to the area we call home. She has been a guide and steered the board with wisdom, wit and intelligence. Good luck with your new projects!