Patsy Minton Newton literally grew up on the University of Central Arkansas campus. Her father, H.L. Minton, was the first chair of the department of geography at Arkansas State Teacher’s College. Newton was the third daughter to H.L. and Lucy Minton, a family that also included a son. All of the children attended the training school on the ASTC campus, after which they transferred to the Conway public school system.
She took full advantage of her educational surroundings, enrolling for college courses while she was in high school to become a member of the class of 1952. While at UCA, Patsy was an Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority member and active in several campus organizations. She also served as the church organist at First Baptist Church.
After obtaining her degree in home economics, Newton attended the University of Birmingham in England for post-graduate work in social studies as UCA’s first Fulbright Scholar. While in England she met Alton Newton, a Rhodes scholar at Oxford and the two were married in Conway in 1953.
Patsy and Al followed a career path that landed them in the Washington, D.C. area with his assignment with the Central Intelligence Agency. They raised five children there, most of whom live there still. She served as the church secretary at the Bethesda First Baptist Church in Bethesda, Md. for 17 years. The two returned to Conway in 2001.
Today, Newton remains active in the UCA community, serving on the UCA Alumni Association board and being involved with International Engagement programs as well as serving on the President’s Residence Advisory Board. She also enjoys tailgating during football season and has recently built a home in the Hendrix Village subdivision.
