![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/howard-patrick-cropped-241x300.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\u201cMr. Klem had a major impact on my life. I always loved history, but Mr. Klem just made it much more interesting,\u201d said Patrick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further explained that after graduating from JCJC in 1977, Patrick wanted to be a teacher, but things didn\u2019t work out until 22 years ago, when he began teaching history at South Jones High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Wayne County native explained, \u201cMr. Klem didn\u2019t just teach the \u2018dry\u2019 facts and things out of the textbooks; he always came up with the \u2018rest of the story\u2019 or something extra. That\u2019s what I do for my students. I try to do a little research on the topic to make it more interesting for my students, just like Mr. Klem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ever since the tragic loss of his favorite teacher 38 years ago, Patrick has hoped for the opportunity to endow a scholarship in his memory. His wife, Rebecca Ratcliff Patrick and her siblings endowed a scholarship in memory of their parents in 2000, and that\u2019s when the couple decided if they had the opportunity to endow another scholarship, it would be in Klem\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was working in the oil field when I heard he died in the line of duty and it was heartbreaking,\u201d said Patrick. \u201cI wanted to endow a scholarship in his memory and in his honor, so his legacy will continue here at Â鶹ֱ²¥, and, hopefully, it will mean as much to some other folks as Mr. Klem meant to me. I\u2019m glad we were finally able to do this for him and his family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/yearbook-pic-of-john-klem-with-psychology-instructor-Elizabeth-Herrington-cropped-small-300x295.jpg\")
Klem\u2019s family was surprised that after 38 years, someone still remembered John Klem III. Teaching was Mr. Klem\u2019s first vocation. The Forrest County resident taught at Purvis High School in 1969, and Jones County Junior College two years later. He began preaching at the Bouie Street Baptist Church in 1970, before becoming a reserve police officer for the Hattiesburg Police Department. In 1976, he joined the Forrest County Sheriff\u2019s Department. His oldest son, John Klem IV, listened to the police scanner as a youngster and after turning 18 years of age, he joined his dad in the police patrol car on Saturday nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI liked riding with my dad and watching him work but I wasn\u2019t sure I wanted to make a career out of it,\u201d said Klem IV. \u201cThe night he got shot, September 15, 1985, I decided that\u2019s what I wanted to do. Six months after he passed away, I started my career with the Hattiesburg Police Department as a dispatcher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2019, Klem IV retired from the Forrest County Sheriff\u2019s Department as a patrol deputy and a constable after 33 years. He explained he was surprised by Howard Patrick\u2019s phone call discussing endowing a scholarship in his dad\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/john-klem-in-uniform-full-220x300.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\u201cI didn\u2019t expect it and it caught me off guard. I didn\u2019t know anyone thought about dad anymore,\u201d said Klem IV. \u201cIt just meant a lot. When I called my youngest brother Mark, he was so excited about it.\u201d The Klem\u2019s middle brother James, passed away in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amazingly, in addition to his jobs, their father also coached two softball teams: one for the police department and one for his church. John Klem IV said his dad also went to many of the little league baseball games he and his two younger brothers played in. Additionally, Klem III visited his shut-in parishioners, delivered communion and gave them a copy of the sermon after learning how to record the service. The Patricks also bragged on the popular JCJC history teacher\u2019s woodworking skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have two wooden picture frames Mr. Klem made. His name is on the back of them,\u201d explained Howard Patrick. \u201cThey are very special to us. We could never part with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/john-klem-pic-small-4x6-use-191x300.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhen Klem III was shot in 1985, Rebecca Patrick was working in the JCJC President\u2019s Office, preparing for his return to the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause we were anticipating Mr. Klem\u2019s return to the classroom, the college immediately began working on accommodations for him to teach. He seemed to be recovering well,\u201d she recalled. \u201cThen, we received the devastating news that he had passed away due to complications. It was a real shock to our whole college family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironically, many years later, Klem IV\u2019s daughter Amber stumbled into her grandfather\u2019s former office when she was a student at JCJC several years ago and met Rebecca Patrick who was teaching journalism at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter Amber confirmed her grandaddy was John Klem III, I told her she was standing in his former office and he taught my husband. I showed her his classroom and she just started crying. Thanks to Amber, we were able to connect with the family again and inform them about the scholarship,\u201d said Rebecca Patrick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While reminiscing, Klem IV remembered a time when the Hattiesburg American<\/em> newspaper followed his dad for two weeks and published a section on each of his jobs as a law enforcement officer, teacher, preacher, and softball coach, as well as a father. The reserve officer\u2019s 44 years on the earth managed to impact a lot of people, and still does to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cWhen I\u2019d meet people on the streets, they\u2019d tell me they remembered my dad, and I\u2019d ask them if he was their preacher, teacher, or arresting officer? Most of the time, they\u2019d say he taught me at JCJC,\u201d chuckled Klem IV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was only four years old when his father began teaching at Purvis High School. The youngster enjoyed coming to the JC campus on the occasion when his dad taught classes in the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m in awe of all the things he did from church visitations, preaching Sunday morning and evening, making phone calls, home visits and more. How did he find time to do all of this? I often wonder this because I only had two jobs and two kids, and they kept me very busy!\u201d said Klem IV. \u201cI am very honored that the Patricks wanted to honor my dad like this and are willing to endow the scholarship, leaving a legacy in my father\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Howard Patrick added, \u201cI probably wouldn\u2019t be teaching today if it weren\u2019t for the impact John Klem made on my life. In my book, he is the \u2018gold standard\u2019 I use when teaching my students. He was the best!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The John Klem III Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to eligible Â鶹ֱ²¥ students majoring in history, criminal justice or law enforcement, after meeting other academic guidelines. Students can apply for scholarships by checking the website, https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/alumni_foundation\/scholarships\/<\/a> through March 2023. Â鶹ֱ²¥ Foundation scholarships will be awarded for the fall 2023 semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tax-deductible contributions towards the Klem III scholarship or other scholarships can be mailed to Jones County Junior College Foundation, Inc. at 900 South Court Street, Ellisville, Mississippi, 39437, or contributions can be made online at https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/alumni_foundation\/giving-support\/<\/a>. For more information, please contact Jo Anna Newcomb in the JC Foundation Office at 601-477-4145.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ELLISVILLE \u2013 Over the last 45 years since Howard Patrick of Ellisville graduated from Jones County Junior College, he has not forgotten about the history teacher who has inspired him. John Klem III taught history at JC for 14 years and Patrick took every one of his classes from 1975 until he graduated in 1977. … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/john-klem-iii-casual-cropped-large-188x300.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/howard-and-rebecca-patrick-with-foundation-check-small-cropped-1024x647.jpg\")