• Source: Pat Woodrum

Pat Woodrum is the former executive director of the Tulsa City-County Library System, a position she served in for 32 years. Since retiring from the library system in 2008, Woodrum has served as the executive director of the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden in Tulsa. Among numerous awards, Woodrum was inducted in the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.




Early life


Pat Woodrum was born in Hutchinson, Kansas in 1941, the eldest of four children. At the age of twelve, her family moved to Parsons, Kansas. She began working at the Parsons Public Library at age fifteen. Woodrum was married to husband Clayton Woodrum at age twenty, while she was still in college. She earned her bachelor's degree from Pittsburg State Teacher’s College and later a master's degree in library science from the University of Oklahoma.




Career


Three days after her graduation from OU, Woodrum began working at the Tulsa City-County Library system as a branch librarian. Woodrum served in nearly every position until she became the executive director of the Tulsa City-County Library System in 1976, where she served for 32 years. Woodrum remained active throughout her lengthy career with the library. She was a part of both OLA and ALA activities, serving as president of PLA (1993-1994). Other involvements included:

State Chairman and delegate to the first White House Conference on Libraries
LSCA Advisory Council
Board of Regents Library Advisory Committee
Chairman of the OU Library School Advisory Committee
Founder of the Tulsa Area Library Cooperative
Woodrum helped to establish Tulsa's Day Center for the Homeless as an alternative to the usage of public libraries for shelter. Woodrum was appointed to the first board of the University Center of Tulsa as well as served on the site selection committee and buildings committee for what is now the OSU-Tulsa campus.
At the time of her retirement, Woodrum made a run for State Senate, though she did not win the election.
After retiring from the library system, Woodrum went through the OSU Master Gardener Program and helped to create the Centennial Botanical Garden in Tulsa, of which she now serves as executive director.




Awards and achievements


Throughout her career, Woodrum has been honored with numerous awards including:

Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame (1993)
OLA Distinguished Service Award
OLA Special Meritorious Service Award
OLA President (1979-1980)
PLA President (1993-1994)
OU Library School Outstanding Alumnus
Tulsa City-County Hall of Fame
Tulsa Press Club’s Headliner Award
Women in Communications Newsmaker Award
Leadership Tulsa’s Paragon Award
Pinnacle Award (2010)
First female Senior Warden at Trinity Episcopal Church, Tulsa
Co-founder Tulsa Botanic Garden




References






External links


Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oral History Project -- OSU Library
2010 Distinguished Alumni Press Release
"500 Library Books Found" - The Oklahoman
"Library Science Due Recognition" - The Oklahoman

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Pat Woodrum
• Pittsburg State University
• Anita Hill
• List of people from Hutchinson, Kansas
• Maxine Horner
• Wilma Mankiller
• LaDonna Harris
• Mae Boren Axton
• Wanda Jackson
• Juanita Kidd Stout