Patricia K. Hill

Patricia (Pat) is from a small town in southeastern Michigan. She grew up listening to songs (on vinyl LPs) from shows like The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Camelot, Oliver! and Brigadoon. She and her friends learned the songs, put on variety shows, and played the Broadway characters, in costume, in games of “dress-up.” She wrote stories and poetry, drew comic books, took piano lessons and ballet, and loved school, sailing and going to camp. She learned the fun of singing harmonies in church choir and around a campfire. High school developed strengths in English, art and music. In her senior year, she joined the concert choir and was pianist for Balladiers, a “show choir” of the early 70s (theme song: “Consider Yourself” from Oliver!). She fell in love with Melzor, choir president. When they graduated, she was co-valedictorian of their class. Patricia and Melzor married and moved to Iowa (echoes of The Music Man!). They started a family. They attended college and graduated together, twelve years after high school graduation. Their commencement speaker was actress Helen Hayes. Pat majored in English and Art. Graduating summa cum laude, with an award for superior accomplishment in English, she was one of two nominees for a fellowship. Not selected for the award, Pat took II Timothy 2:15 to heart: “Study to show thyself approved unto God…” and determined to use her gifts and talents in her church family. During thirty-seven years in Iowa, she directed church choir, led worship, taught Sunday School and midweek children’s ministries and directed summer Bible camps. She served as state-level secretary, wrote Bible studies and arranged choir music. She wrote a few songs, then a cantata, and then a full musical. This was followed by another musical, and another; to a total of eight, over a twenty-three-year span. She also became a writer for Dr. Wonder’s Workshop, a Christian TV series for the Deaf. Two years after her husband retired, Pat and Mel left children and grandchildren in Iowa and moved to Florida. She continues to write plays, music and lyrics, in between salt water fishing, canoeing, tandem bicycling and recumbent tricycling. Sailing is on the near horizon, too. Pat says, “If God says ‘Yes,’ don’t let anyone say you can’t. And trust His timing.”