It was a hot July afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C., 1963, when a civil rights march through the center of town brought Patricia and David Sweet together for the first time.

She was an undergraduate, taking summer classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; he was a graduate student there. Recognizing the march as history-in-the-making, they strolled over together and stood watching, side by side.

“That was the ‘60s. There were major events going on all over the United States, especially in the South,” she recalled, remembering how the demonstrators marched along in silence and then spontaneously burst into song. “It was a moving experience, just to be there.”

That was the beginning. The Sweets married three years later after she completed her baccalaureate in psychology at the University of Oklahoma, and they began a life of public service, making history of their own.
 

For the past eight and a half years Mrs. Sweet has been YSU’s “first lady,” dedicated full-time to her role as partner to YSU President David C. Sweet who was named the university’s sixth president in 2000.

Before coming to Youngstown she was the longtime executive director of the League of Women Voters of Cleveland Educational Fund. She also founded and directed Look Up To Cleveland, a nationally-recognized high school leadership development program.

“When David accepted the position at YSU, I had to give some thought to what kind of a first lady I would be,” she said.   “I chose to be very much an active first lady, an advocate for the university, engaged in the community.”

Now, Mrs. Sweet spends much of her time hosting events for what she fondly calls “the YSU family”- university and community leaders, students and alumni groups - at the couple’s stately 1930s-era red-brick home in Liberty Township. “It’s about building relationships,” she said, “and acknowledging those who contribute so much to the success of the university.”

Winter holidays are especially busy – the Sweets had dinners and receptions scheduled throughout December, with group sizes ranging from 17 to as many as 100. In summer their wooded lawn is the setting for many warm-weather celebrations.

The home is furnished with comfortable upholstered pieces in neutral tones and decorated with YSU student art, books and antique accents passed down through generations.  

There are photographs of the Sweets’ four adult children and families, including their seven grandchildren, but those photos are displayed only in the kitchen – including a collage on the refrigerator door - and other less-public living areas. “It’s just my way of keeping a little bit of privacy,” Mrs. Sweet explained.

After 43 years of marriage, Mrs. Sweet is accustomed to living a public life. She was in her 20s with four children under 7 when Dr. Sweet served as director of development for the state of Ohio. Later, he was a commissioner on Ohio’s Public Utilities Commission, then served as founding dean and professor at Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs before accepting the YSU presidency.

While she sometimes longs for more spontaneity – the Sweets must plan their calendar a year in advance – she’s learned to enjoy the busy pace and to revel in her role as an ambassador for YSU, constantly meeting new people and cultivating relationships.

“I think it helps that I was an Army brat,” she said with an easy grin.

Her father was a Green Beret in the Army’s Special Forces; her mother, a graduate of the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris who founded her own real estate firm.

The family moved frequently while Mrs. Sweet was growing up, and she attended 11 different school districts, including two abroad. “When you’re moving a lot, you have to be able to meet new friends and start over again. I think that prepared me for public life.”

She demonstrated her adventurous side when she chose to attend the University of Oklahoma, even though she’d never been there and knew no one. Her reason: the school had a great football team, and she loves football.

 “Mom and Dad put me on the last Pullman train out of Fayetteville, N.C., and it took me three days to get there,” she said. “That’s how we did things. All very independent.”

Years later, Mrs. Sweet brought that same independence to her role as YSU’s first lady, finding ways to strengthen the university’s connections across the Mahoning Valley while fulfilling her passions for historic preservation, education and community development.

She’s a trustee for the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, where she helped initiate an annual historical restoration award program, acknowledging those who work to preserve and refurbish the region’s historic treasures.

An avid supporter of the Wick Neighbors project, with its goal of creating a vibrant urban community in the old Smoky Hollow neighborhood adjacent to the YSU campus, she chairs the annual Smoky Hollow 5-K Race and Family Fun Walk to raise funds and public awareness for the project.

Besides attending major campus events, such as commencements and groundbreakings, Mrs. Sweet is a community representative for Youngstown Early College, a program that gives students the chance to earn YSU college credits while still in high school. She also serves on the advisory board for the YSU English Festival, which brings 3,000 students and teachers to campus every spring.

Off-campus activities include numerous leadership positions and memberships that allow her to pursue her interests while serving as a champion for YSU.

YSU’s first lady has few gripes about public life. She’s shy about getting her picture taken and waving from a car in YSU’s Homecoming parade – though she liked that better last fall when five of her grandchildren joined her. “My least favorite part became my favorite part,” she said.

The Sweets try to fit family visits into their schedule – they have a son in Los Angeles, two daughters in Charlotte, N.C. and a son in Bluffton, S.C. They also led a delegation of YSU leaders to China and Taiwan in the summer of 2007 to boost the university’s international study exchange programs.

When at home they enjoy YSU theatre, music and athletic events, and they try to accompany the men’s football and basketball teams for at least one road game each season. “We like seeing the Penguins perform, whether in the classroom, on stage, or in the athletic arena,” she said, “so it works out well. Actually, that part of the job is the extra-nice part.”

Story by Cynthia Vinarsky