Patricia (Pat) Ann Dunlavey was born and raised in Chelmsford. It was where she started her life and where she completed it with many wonderful adventures along the way. She was the oldest of 6 children and very much enjoyed growing up in the then small town atmosphere of Chelmsford.

At Chelmsford High School, Pat met the man who would become her husband just a few years following her graduation in 1961. Jack Scaplen (CHS ’59) and she married beginning their lives as the second generation of Chelmsford Scaplen’s. She and Jack raised three boys in Chelmsford and were active with all of their activities as they grew up.

Pat began her professional career as a bookkeeper, working for a local Chelmsford business, proving her skill with numbers and accounting, and succeeding in the realm of balance sheets and financial figures. It came naturally to her and she enjoyed tackling the mathematical challenges; like figuring out a puzzle.

As her sons grew, she was able to resume her career and she was able to progress to positions of greater responsibility in the accounting field for manufacturing businesses. With additional schooling and coursework, and a dependable work ethic and commitment, Pat worked her way up to the position of Director of Corporate Finance for the international firm, National Technical Systems. With her financial oversight of the European branches for NTS, as well as her post on the company’s Board of Directors, she and husband Jack traveled throughout the world, enjoying the sights and experiences of new places, but cherishing the return home to Chelmsford to enjoy her grandsons and the proximity of extended family and friends.

Pat truly enjoyed her work as much as her play. She shifted her focus to merger and acquisition activity for NTS, allowing her to build more personal time into her life and enjoy regular trips to Florida.
Pat Scaplen loved Chelmsford, but she also enjoyed the culture and experiences of travel to far off places. It was through her skill with numbers that she reached success in the financial arena of business, opening doors and leading her to experience all that life had to offer.

Her family passes on a wonderful gift in Pat’s memory: a Chelmsford High School Alumni Scholarship, offering a gift for some young person to start in Chelmsford, use their number-sense, and tackle the world.