A native of Madill, OK, Michael Pate enrolled at FSU in 1964. He spent two and a half years in the School of Music before transferring to the College of Business. He graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Michael was in the Marching Chiefs for four years. He was a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, and Alpha Delta Sigma, a professional advertising fraternity. After leaving FSU, Michael worked for The Tallahassee Democrat, and after six years had become Retail Advertising Manager. After tenures at The Miami Herald and the Sun Herald in Biloxi, he became Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Sun News in Myrtle Beach, SC, later becoming President and Publisher. In 1997, Michael became President and Publisher of The Tallahassee Democrat. Michael has been active in each of the communities where he has lived. He won the Silver Medal Award from the Coastal Advertising Federation in Myrtle Beach, and is a past president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Leadership South Carolina, and was the American Cancer Society Volunteer of the Year. Michael has served on the Board of Visitors of the Florida A&M University School of Journalism, the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce, the Tallahassee Economic Development Council, and the executive committee of the Tallahassee Symphony, and Honorary Chair of the 1998 Leon County Relay for Life. Michael and a small group of former Marching Chiefs formed the first Florida State University Alumni Band. Serving as its first drum major, holding a toilet plunger, he still remembers “the chills that ran down my spine as we were introduced and took the field.” Knowing that our organization provides scholarships for students gives Michael a wonderful feeling of satisfaction and participation.
A native of Jacksonville, FL, Judy Baker Pate transferred to FSU in 1965. She was a member of the Marching Chiefs for two years and graduated in 1967 with a BME degree. Shortly after earning her degree, she married Michael Pate the night before the Gator Bowl game between Penn State and FSU. The Marching Chiefs attended the wedding since their hotel was two blocks from the downtown church. Kappa Kappa Psi sang all of the music for the ceremony. Later that same year, Judy became the first female band director in Leon County, where she taught from 1968 to 1973. Judy and Michael have one son, Brian. Judy has been very active in the Tallahassee community since moving back there in 1997. She refers to herself as “everyone’s favorite volunteer,” working on programs for the public relations committee of the Children’s Home Society. She has hosted fundraisers for the PACE Center for Girls, and served as Chair for the Spring Fling fundraiser for Big Bend Hospice. Recently, she served on the selection committee for a new music director for Faith Presbyterian Church. As part of the group who decided to form an Alumni Band, Judy continues to participate every year, and insists she can still march and play better than those “kids” in their twenties, saying “I’ve yet to lose a halftime show.”