Teacher, Historian, and St. Mary’s Lifelong Turkey: Dr. Patti Person Ray ’65 

Dr. Patti Person Ray ’65 became a St. Mary’s girl in 1955, and 70 years later, you can still find her on campus making new memories and preserving the past.

Throughout all of those years as a Turkey, many things have stayed the same. 

“What was given to me as a student, and to current students, is the confidence to be myself,” Dr. Ray said. “That has stayed consistent since 1955 when I started at St. Mary’s.” 

Dr. Ray graduated in 1965 and then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in secondary education, a master’s degree, and an Ed.D. in educational administration and supervision, all from the University of Memphis. Since 1975, Dr. Ray has been a steadfast educator, mentoring and championing students.

Teaching is her passion, and St. Mary’s is her place.  

After teaching in public schools for 25 years and serving as the founding principal of Cordova High School, Dr. Ray found her way back to St. Mary’s in 2000 to serve as the Upper School Head. After her retirement, she returned to teach history classes and is now taking on the role of School Historian, connecting current St. Mary’s girls with the generations of tradition and history that are foundational to the school. 

One of the ways Dr. Ray is telling these stories is through a new history book. Mary M. Davis, the school’s first historian, wrote a chronology of the first 150 years of St. Mary’s in her book “A Remarkable Journey 1847–1997: The Story of St. Mary’s Episcopal School,” and Dr. Ray is writing the next chapter. 

In “A Remarkable Journey Continues 1998-2025,” Dr. Ray is carrying on the legacy and documenting the remarkable stories that shape the spirit of St. Mary’s. 

Her Own St. Mary’s Story

While a student at St. Mary’s, Dr. Ray played basketball, participated in cheerleading, acted in many of the plays, designed the yearbook, and showcased her singing. But it was her mentors and teachers at St. Mary’s that truly shaped her experience. 

“St. Mary’s teachers are like parents helping children learn how to ride a bicycle,” Dr. Ray said.  “They run along beside you until you have the confidence to go it alone.”

This confidence cultivated at St. Mary’s helped Dr. Ray become a leader in education as the first female high school principal in Shelby County since the early 1800s. She has also been a passionate advocate for young educators as an adjunct professor at Union University, Christian Brothers University, and the University of Memphis, and as a mentor/teacher for Memphis Teacher Residency.

“St. Mary’s taught me how to be heard. I’m going to come to the table and I’m not going to sit back, and that comes from St. Mary’s,” she said. “It really sends all of us out with a strength that we don’t know we have until it’s challenged somewhere else.”

A Witness to Growth and Community

Upon returning to St. Mary’s after 25 years in public schools, Dr. Ray witnessed many of the moments and memories that make St. Mary’s magical. 

“I have a lot of history at the school, and I’ve seen it grow,” Dr. Ray said. “I think the binding strength of St. Mary’s is in personal relationships that can form in an environment that is based on trust.”

These relationships reflect the kindness and generosity consistent with what Dr. Ray saw when she was a student. 

“One day I came in and on my desk was this big smiley face cookie from one of the students who left it with a little note that said, ‘I think you might need this,’” Dr. Ray said. “I was amazed at how observant and caring the girls were.”

Drawn back to teaching, Dr. Ray saw a need for a Global Issues class to educate girls about the importance of being globally aware citizens. 

Dr. Ray was an early adopter of online learning when St. Mary’s became a charter member of the Online School for Girls as a teacher. Before and during COVID, she mastered hybrid learning in an online global studies course. As Upper School Head, she loved getting to connect with students in a classroom as well.  

“I love that I could put aside one hour a day, teach the students, and open their world and mine too,” she said.

A Historian and Teacher

Now in her role as School Historian, Dr. Ray has found a way to continue teaching our community about the past. 

“I love to teach. That’s my core,” she said. “I’ve tried to turn the historian job into a teaching job about the people who are so foundational to the school and why we’re still here as the oldest independent school in the state of Tennessee. I love learning and teaching about the students who leave here and make this world a better place.”

As part of her history lessons for the school, Dr. Ray helped start the annual Founders’ Day, where the community celebrates the people who helped St. Mary’s flourish. The 2025 Founders’ Day celebrates Mary M. Davis and her book. 

Similarly, Dr. Ray’s new book features discovery, tradition, and care for St. Mary’s. 

“It’s the discovery of things that is so rare, so unique, so St Mary’s that I'm just honored and excited to be part of that,” Dr. Ray said. “The thing about history itself is that history creates connections in the uniqueness of the traditions that we preserve and protect. Those traditions are so St. Mary’s, and here in the archives, I can file those wonderful moments.”

Though she spends her time documenting the past, Dr. Ray is also constantly looking to the bright future of the school. 

“We need to preserve the past and understand the people who got us here, but I hope in the future, we continue to adapt,” Dr. Ray said. “There will be change, but at St. Mary’s, we know how to do it. We’re going to handle it with grace and strength and confidence.”

Written by Wallis Rogin '25