Mr. Patrick was raised in Youngstown, Ohio.  He attended Tennessee Temple University were he received a b.s. degree in secondary education with specialization in history.  After graduating from college he traveled north to Clarkston, Michigan, where he taught and coached at Springfield Christian Academy.  He returned to Chattanooga and completed his work on a master of relgious education degree, specializing in secondary administration.

Mr. Patrick finished his second master of education degee at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1991, also specializing in secondary administration.  He has been at Grace since the school began.  In 1987 he married Donna, an educational therapist and the head of children's ministries at Grace Baptist Church.  They have three children:  Diana, Danae, and David.