Pat Altringer (1936-2022) grew up in eastern North Dakota, attended Jamestown College, and later the University of North Dakota. He married his wife, Bev, in Fargo in 1960.
The couple lived in Oakes and Hettinger, where Pat worked as a zone manager for International Harvester before making their way to Dickinson.
The couple arrived in 1963 and never left. After two years in the banking business, Pat opened his own home insurance and real estate company, which he ran until selling it in 1982.
During that time, Pat and Bev became entrenched in the community and Dickinson State University, and in 1993, they established the Pat and Bev Altringer Endowed Scholarship that is awarded to a DSU athlete who excels as both a student and an athlete.
“When we moved to Dickinson, Dickinson State became a significant part of our lives,” Bev says. “We attended all of the school’s activities and we were big sports fans. Getting to know the students, staff, and faculty was a big part of our lives. Following these young people as they graduated was very satisfying to Pat and me.”
Sports were Pat’s passion, and his favorite teams included the Vikings, Twins, and the Blue Hawks, along with North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota.
Pat and Bev received the DSU Heritage Foundation Meritorious Service Award in 1993. In 2001 they received the Dickinson State Booster Club’s Blue Feather Award, given to friends of the university who have improved the university through dedicated service, promotion, financial support, or other efforts.
In addition to Pat’s insurance business, the Altringers owned several rental properties. They gifted an 18-unit apartment building to the university which at the time was used to house Theodore Roosevelt scholars and upper-division students.
Pat served on the DSU Heritage Foundation board and was a member of the Blue Hawk Booster Club. He was president of the Dickinson Chamber of Commerce, the Dickinson Elks Club, and the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. He was a member of the Rotary Club, Dickinson Jaycees, and Knights of Columbus. He was invited to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1986.
The couple’s passion extended beyond athletics into the arts. “We also enjoyed the school’s plays and the music, and it just became part of our social life,” Bev says.
Pat collected wildlife and western art and sang in barbershop quartets. He enjoyed hunting and working with various service organizations in southwest North Dakota, including serving on the Medora Foundation board.
Bev said she and Pat felt fortunate to help students at DSU. “It was something we had talked about, and we realized these young people needed help going to school. It was very rewarding to see them participate and go out into this world and do something. It’s been very satisfying.”
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