Patricia Hamilton Wright Gwyn (April 1, 1929 – October 16, 2018) was a Canadian-born American politician, educator, and librarian. She served as a Rockingham County commissioner from 1996 to 2000, and was the first woman chair of the Rockingham County Commission. Prior to her time as a commissioner, she served as director of Rockingham County Public Libraries.
Patricia Wright Gwyn | |
|---|---|
 Gwyn (second from right) in 1998. | |
| Chairwoman of the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners | |
| In office 1999–2000 | |
| Rockingham County Commissioner | |
| In office 1996–2000 | |
| First Lady of Reidsville | |
| Assumed Role 1960–1966 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patricia Hamilton Wright April 1, 1929 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | October 16, 2018 (aged 89) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Spouse | Julius J. Gwyn |
| Education | Spence School Walnut Hill School |
| Alma mater | Duke University (BA) University of North Carolina at Greensboro (MLS) |
| Occupation | librarian, teacher, politician |
Early life and education
editGwyn was born Patricia Hamilton Wright on April 1, 1929 in Montreal.[1][2] She was the daughter of Willard Wyldre Wright and Dorothy Thomas Wright.[3][1] She attended Spence School in New York City and graduated from Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts in 1947.[3]
She studied at Duke University, graduating in 1951 with a degree in English.[3][2] Gwyn went on to earn a master's degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.[1]
Career
editEducation
editGwyn worked as a kindergarten teacher for seven years before becoming the director of the First Presbyterian Church Child Development Center in Reidsville, North Carolina.[1] Gwyn later transitioned from education to a career in library science, working in the Rockingham County Public Library system for twenty-two years, starting as a book mobile librarian and retiring as the director of county libraries.[1]
Politics and public life
editFrom 1960 to 1966, Gwyn served as First Lady of Reidsville while her husband was mayor.[4][2] Under her husband's administration the city racially integrated.[4]
She was elected to the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners in 1996 and served as a commissioner until 2000.[1] On October 28, 1998, she attended a ceremony at Dalton L. McMichael High School for the dedication of North Carolina Highway 135 being designated as the J.J. Webster Highway, after former Rockingham County Commissioner James Jefferson Webster.[5] In 1999, she became the first woman Chair of the Rockingham County Commission.[1][2]
She was active in the Race Relations Council, Downtown Reidsville Corporation, the Rotary Club, Habitat for Humanity, the YMCA, and the Triad Council of Government Consortium.[1]
Personal life
editOn April 1, 1950, her engagement to Julius Johnston Gwyn, a fellow Duke student who was business manager of the Duke Chronicle and a member of the Order of the Red Friars, was announced.[3] He was the son of Judge Allen Hatchett Gwyn, a former state senator and justice of the superior court.[6] They married in Waban, Massachusetts in June 1950.[3] She and her husband had three children.[7] They moved to Reidsville, North Carolina after her husband graduated from law school.[1]
She died from Parkinson's disease on October 16, 2018 in Greensboro, North Carolina.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Official Obituary of Patricia Wright Gwyn". Citty Funeral Home.
- ^ a b c d "The Gwyn Story". The Gwyn Initiative.
- ^ a b c d e "PATRICIA WRIGHT FIANCEE; Betrothed to Julius J. Gwyn-- Both Are Students at Duke". The New York Times. April 2, 1950. p. 90.
- ^ a b "Julius Gwyn Obituary (2003) - Legacy Remembers". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ The North Carolina Department of Transportation Cordially Invites You To Attend A Dedication Ceremony Naming N.C. 135 Between N.C. 770 And U.S. 220 Business in Mayodan The J.J. Webster Highway, Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Department of Transportation, 1998
- ^ "OBITUARIES". Greensboro News and Record. 1999-06-10. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ "OBITUARIES". Greensboro News and Record. 2003-09-10. Retrieved 2024-11-05.