UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

G E N E R O U S D O N O R S
Family Gives UAA $300,000 for
Education Scholarships
Largest Individual Contribution to
Promote Alaskan Careers
in Education
T
he family of Patty McManamin
donated $300,000 to UAA’s College
of Education to help fund 12 scholarships
a year for students pursuing a career in
education. It is the single largest
individual donation the university
has received.
The generous gift was made in honor
of the former Anchorage special
education teacher who died of breast
cancer in 2003. The Patty McManamin
Education Endowment was created by
her family in recognition of her passion
for teaching.
The first scholarships will be awarded
this spring.
Mary Snyder, dean of the College of
Education, said 85 percent of Alaska’s
teachers come from outside the state
right now.
“This will allow us to encourage Alaskans to become
Alaskan teachers,” she said.“Having good teachers is critical
to the economic health and welfare of the whole state.”
McManamin was born in 1952, while her parents were on
a business trip to Seattle. After graduating from high school in
Santa Barbara, CA, she earned a bachelor’s degree in theater
arts and journalism from Northern Colorado University
in 1974.
Upon returning to Anchorage, McManamin completed her
student teaching at Bartlett High School, but did not begin her
teaching career right away. She worked as a dental assistant,
small business owner, real estate agent, and a bookkeeper
before substitute teaching.
As a substitute teacher Patty had a preference for the
special needs programs. She loved special education and
returned to school to complete her master’s degree in special
education from the University of
Washington in 1992. She spent the next
10 years working for the Anchorage
School District as a teacher in the
adolescent unit at Alaska Psychiatric
Hospital.
Diagnosed with breast cancer on
Christmas Eve 1999, her four-year battle
with the disease included surgeries,
chemotherapy, radiation, and more
chemotherapy. As a testament to her
commitment to her job, she spent her
vacations undergoing the major
treatments in order not to interfere
with her teaching. Throughout her
illness, she rarely missed a school day,
and worked up until 10 days of her
Patty McManamin death, passing away on March 6, 2003.
The family’s $300,000 gift is the
largest individual gift made to UAA.
Patty’s husband, Jerry Ulmer, and her
brother John P. McManamin chose to donate funds from the
estate of her mother Mary Jean McManamin to create
the endowment.
“Patty brought true passion to her work and continually
demonstrated genuine care and concern for her students and
co-workers,” her family said.
Because of her devotion to teaching, her family created an
endowment in her name to provide scholarships for students
who might one day carry on her dedication to education.
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