Pat Carville Hoffman , Class of 1973

Following her 1977 graduation from Louisiana State University, Pat Carville Hoffman began her family and enjoyed the blessing of being a stay-at-home mom while her three children were young.

In 1994, when her youngest child, Kathleen, was 5, she took a part-time job with the Louisiana Democratic Party. She has been there ever since. Among her duties is campaign finance compliance for the party and candidates. She is currently working on the campaigns of second-term U.S. Representative Charlie Melancon and Democratic State Representative Don Cazayoux, who is running for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District.

Hoffman grew up in the small town of Carville, Louisiana, one of eight children of Nippy and Chester Carville. She remains close to her tight-knit family to this day.

Married for 30 years to John “Sparky” Hoffman, Hoffman has three children: Keith, 27, a 1999 graduate of Catholic High School; Thomas, 23, a 2003 graduate of CHS; and Kathleen, 19, a 2007 Academy graduate. Keith’s wife, Erin McConnell, is a member of the SJA class of 1999.

In addition to her busy work schedule and the time she spends with her children and extended family, Hoffman devotes countless hours to community activities. She has worked as a volunteer with Alzheimer’s Services of Baton Rouge since 1999, currently serving as president of its board of directors. She has also served as chairwoman of the organization’s Walk/Run to Remember fundraising event.

For years, she has cooked meals for those served by the St. Vincent de Paul kitchen, and she served for several years on the fundraising committee to furnish the Sweet Dreams project. Hoffman is also a member of the board of directors of the Sister Dulce Foundation and serves on the house corporation board of Delta Delta Delta sorority at LSU. She was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Mothers’ Club at LSU and served as the organization’s treasurer.

She volunteers on a weekly basis as a reading tutor for young men incarcerated at Jetson Correctional Center for Youth, and she facilitated Bible studies for female inmates until they were moved from the facility in 2004.

She was an eight-year member of the CHS Mothers’ Club and served as chairwoman of the school’s live and silent auctions. She also served as a facilitator of CHS’ senior retreats.

The Academy has also benefitted from her tireless volunteer efforts. She served on the very first steering committee for the Alumnae Annual Giving campaign, formerly called the SJA Phon-A-Thon, and has participated as a volunteer caller every year since. Last year, she served as co-chair of the campaign with classmate Ellen Jolly Tanner.

Hoffman also served on the Annual Alum Weekend Reunion committee in the early ’80s, the committee to convert the old gym into the current library and the committee to build the Activity Center.

When Kathleen was a student at the Academy, Hoffman was a busy volunteer, serving in whatever way she was needed. She was especially active as a parent volunteer for the SJA volleyball team, of which Kathleen was a four-year member. Hoffman has also facilitated SJA’s senior retreat during the last three years. She and Kathleen were co-chairs of the SJA class of 2007’s Six-Month Reunion.

Hoffman is a Eucharistic minister at her church parish of St. Thomas More, and she served as a member of its auction and festival committees. She was an active member of the St. Thomas More Home and School Board for many years, and she served as a room mother during her children’s elementary school years.

Through her deep-seated faith in God and the loving support of her family and friends, Hoffman faced breast cancer in 2004. She endured treatments with a positive attitude, and today, she counsels friends faced with a similar diagnosis. 

Hoffman points to her years at St. Joseph’s Academy as critical in her formation. “I was so nurtured by the Academy,” she said. “In the early 1970s, we had more nuns than lay teachers. These incredible women have continued to be wonderful role models for me, especially Sister Joan Laplace and Sr. Judith Brun. All I have to do is walk on the campus, and I feel the love. My fellow classmates continue to stay close; they are like a lot of sisters to add to my four blood sisters. When someone asks where I went to high school and I answer, ‘SJA,’ I get instant respect. I am truly honored to be one of more than 7,400 SJA alumnae.”

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