October 21, 2011
Patricia Koch to speak at St. Meinrad on building success by example
Editor’s note: The following information was provided by St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.
The Institute for Priests and Presbyterates of St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology will present a free lecture on Monday, Nov. 7.
The lecture by Patricia Koch, director of values at Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari theme park in Santa Claus, is titled “With a Broom and a Smile: Building Success by Example.”
She will discuss the values, practices and strategies that her family has employed over the 65 years of Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari’s operation, which have led to the park’s popularity as one of America’s favorite theme parks.
The lecture begins at 7 p.m. CST in the Gallery, located on the first floor of St. Gregory Hall on the Saint Meinrad campus.
At age 19, after graduating from high school, Patricia Yellig joined the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in St. Louis. For 10 years, she was a nurse in St. Louis, New Orleans and Chicago. She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. Louis University.
In 1960, she left the religious order to help nurse her parents who were ill. In December of that year, she married W.A. “Bill” Koch, whose family owned Santa Claus Land. Over the next six years, the couple had five children.
As her children grew, she became more involved with the park. Her dedication to the park’s atmosphere has helped earn the family operation, now called Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, the titles of the World’s Friendliest Park (1998-2011) and the World’s Cleanest Park (2000-2011). As director of values, Koch works with the park’s 80 full-time and 2,300 seasonal employees to maintain the high standards of the family business.
In 2002, she received her master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Loyola University. She also has worked with the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Indiana in helping to start the Wisdom Program, designed to help senior citizens continue to be contributing members of society.
The lecture is part of the Gregorian Lectures in Priestly Spirituality, sponsored by Saint Meinrad’s Institute for Priests and Presbyterates.
There is no cost for the lecture.
For more information, call Mary Jeanne Schumacher during business hours at 812-357-6501.