Patricia Farrar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
August 13, 1931
Patricia Farrar | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of South Dakota | |
| In role January 7, 1969 – January 5, 1971 | |
| Governor | Frank Farrar |
| Preceded by | Vacant (1965–1969)[1] |
| Succeeded by | Nancy Kneip Paprocki |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patricia Jean Henley August 13, 1931 |
| Died | October 31, 2015 (aged 84) |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of South Dakota |
Patricia Jean "Pat" Farrar (née Henley; August 13, 1931 – October 31, 2015) was an American educator. She was the First Lady of South Dakota from 1969 to 1971 during the administration of her husband, former Governor Frank Farrar.[3] She was also on the board of advisers of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[4] Patricia Farrar won a gold medal at the National Senior Games, also known as the Senior Olympics, in 1989.[2]
Farrar was born Patricia Henley on August 13, 1931, in Britton, South Dakota, to Percy Denis and Margaret (née Schneider) Henley.[2] She was raised in nearby Claremont, where she graduated as valedictorian from Claremont High School in 1949.[2]
She graduated cum laude from the University of South Dakota in 1953, where she studied English and art.[4][5] Henley placed first runner up in the Miss South Dakota pageant while in college.[2] She began her career as a teacher at Summit High School in Summit, South Dakota.[3]
Career
Farrar was the First Lady of South Dakota from 1969 to 1971. She was also a member of the South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women, as well as the South Dakota State University's advisory board for apparel and textiles.[4] Nationally, Farrar held a seat on the board of advisers for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.[4] She wrote and performed a chautauqua based on the life of South Dakota's first First Lady, Margaret Mellette.[2]
In 1989, Farrar won a gold medal in race walking at the second National Senior Games in St. Louis, Missouri.[2]
Death
Farrar died from Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease at Avera St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen, South Dakota, on October 31, 2015, at the age of 84.[3][6] She was survived by her husband and their five children.[2] Governor Dennis Daugaard ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on November 7, 2015, in her honor.[7]
