Pat Owens Explained

Birth Name:Patricia A. Owens
Birth Date:17 March 1941
Birth Place:East Grand Forks, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality:American
Office:25th Mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota
Term Start:1996
Term End:2000
Predecessor:Michael Polovitz
Successor:Michael Brown
Spouse:Bobby Owens

Patrica A. Owens (March 17, 1941 – July 23, 2024) was an American politician who was the mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota, during the flood that devastated the city in April 1997. She actively lobbied then-president Bill Clinton for funds to rebuild the city and construct a permanent flood protection system for the city and neighboring East Grand Forks, Minnesota.

Political career

Owens, born in 1941 in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, worked as the mayor's executive assistant for 33 years,[1] before running for mayor herself in 1996. She received 76% of the vote and became Grand Forks' first female mayor.[2] Then in 1997, after less than one year as mayor, the city was struck by the 1997 Red River Flood. She received numerous awards and national recognition for her efforts after the flood. She ran for a second term in 2000, but was defeated by Michael Brown. Also in 2000, Owens was a member of the Mayors' Campaign Against Breast Cancer.[3]

Retirement and death

Owens resided in Ocala, Florida, where she moved in 2001. That same year, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of North Dakota.[4] In 2004 when Florida was struck by a string of hurricanes, she was asked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to act as an ambassador for them by trying to help give the victims some sort of hope.[1] However, she was unable to as the retirement development had been damaged by two of the hurricanes that hit the state.[1]

Owens died on July 23, 2024, at the age of 83.[5]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: FLOOD OF 1997: Mayor Pat is Back. Bakken, Ryan. Grand Forks Herold.com. April 19, 2007. January 31, 2019.
  2. Book: Shelby, Ashley. Red River Rising. limited. Borealis Books. 2003. United States. 0-87351-500-5. 34.
  3. Web site: USCM - Breast Cancer Information eXchange. USMayors.org. October 9, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20110612013532/http://www.usmayors.org/cancer/xchange0600.pdf. June 12, 2011. dead. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: University of North Dakota - Summer Commencement. UND.edu. University of North Dakota. May 10, 2008. January 31, 2019.
  5. https://www.kvrr.com/2024/07/23/pat-owens-grand-forks-mayor-during-the-1997-flood-fight-dies-at-83/ Pat Owens, Grand Forks Mayor During the 1997 Flood Fight, Dies at 83