A Louisville native and successful businessman, Pat King, Sr. is on his second tenure as a Board member for Boys and Girls Haven. Pat's relationship with Boys and Girls Haven started through the influence of his late wife, the former Beverly Henning. Beverly's parents knew Father Maloney quite well and, as Pat recalls, "We kind of drifted into her parents' connection with Fr. Jim."

Says Pat, "We visited Fr. Jim several times and started donating to Boys and Girls Haven. He really sold us on the program, partly because he enjoyed what he did so much. His love for the kids was infectious. I also recall being impressed by how he balanced his gregarious, outgoing personality with a jighly organized approach to the Boys and Girls Haven operations."

Eventually, Fr. Jim invited Pat to serve on the Board of Trustees because he was looking for younger blood. "In addition to five children in the house, I was working mega-hours at the time, so I hesitated when he asked me." Once again, Beverly's influence proved decisive. She encouraged Pat to say yes. In those days, Pat worked for Stewart Mechanical Enterprises, a firm doing heating and air-conditioning, plumbing, and industrial pipe systems. "We'd fly out of Bowman Field all the time at 5:00 a.m. to jobs all over the country. We had big jobs. I particularly remember contracting with the Marble Hill nuclear power plant, constructing cooling lines that were 14 feet in diameter!"

Pat sold his interest in Stewart Mechanical in the mid 1990's to work as a consultant for his son, Pat, Jr., who had started a commercial enterprise, King Construction Company. Once again, big jobs were the order of the day. King Construction Company renovated the Jefferson County Jail as well as several VA hospitals. At the same time, Pat added real estate development to his resume, busily developing property under the auspices of the Kind Development Company.

Not only is Pat generous in his living legacy, he plans to remember Boys and Girls Haven and other charities in his estate plan. "I feel that my children are well provided for and they need my example of giving back to the community." His impulse to give back comes from his mother, who was the organist at St. Cecilia Church for 27 years.

"My mother also taught music to the Maryhurst girls. This is back when they were at 22nd and Bank Street. The nuns couldn't afford to pay her, but they helped our family in other ways. Maryhurst girls were the main source of our babysitters. My mother needed the help. Our family was far from well-to-do. I'd describe us as well-NOT-to-do!"

Pat is convinced that Fr. Maloney's philosophy remains firmly in place at Boys and Girls Haven - with the right staff choices since Father passed away in 1998. Pat particularly likes the emphasis on higher education in the Independent Living Program. And despite initial skepticism, he is astounded by the success of the Equine Program. "It's tremendous."

When asked to sum up his involvement, Pat simply says, "The Gospel of Jesus tells all of us that we have a personal responsibility to help our neighbor. I take this responsibility very seriously."