Pat Wehle
While she was growing up in northern New Jersey, the only animal Pat Wehle ever really thought about was her cocker spaniel. But serendipity changed that when she met her future husband, Ted Wehle. After college, they married and moved to the Wehle Stock Farm, Ted's family's Standardbred breeding farm in Scottsville, outside Rochester, which was established by her in-laws in 1935.
Wehle spent nearly three decades since leaving college working on the 900-acre horse breeding farm. While there she assisted her mother-in-law, Betty Wehle, in running the breeding end of the farm. She gradually took on greater responsibilities and helped farm manager, Dan Burstein, oversee six to eight seasonal employees, tend to the brood mares, and deliver foals. Wehle is now retired from this hectic schedule.
While at the farm, the Wehles relied on the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell for equine care, and become friendly with some of the veterinarians at the college. In the late 1970s, she started to become involved with issues and activities at the college and joined the college's Equine Advisory Council, eventually becoming its first female chair. She also served on the College Advisory Council for many years. In 1989, Wehle's growing expertise in breeding resulted in an invitation to join the Zweig Committee.
Wehle has now retired from several charitable organizations, the chair of the board of Rochester's Park Ridge Health System (a 700-bed health care organization), co-chair of its $14 million capital campaign, and president of the Rochester Female Charitable Society, the oldest charitable institution in the country. Today, she keeps busy with her commitments at home and continues to participate as a member of the Zweig Committee.