Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 12-18-15 Edition

Feature
Civil Rights Warrior Dies Suddenly Of Heart Attack
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Saturday, Ms. Patricia Spencer celebrated her 79th birthday and enjoyed an evening of bowling, which was one of her favorite pas- times. However, on Sunday, Ms. Spencer suffered a massive heart attack. She died on Monday night at Florida Hospital.
Ms. Spencer has been de- scribed as a friend, mentor, trainer, agitator, freedom fighter, prayer partner and Civil Rights warrior.
A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Ms. Spencer be- came a member of the NAACP at the age of 7. She lived in Orlando, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Tampa. She be- came active in branches of the NAACP where she lived, her daughter, Ms. Patricia “Pat” Spencer said.
Growing up in Mont- gomery, Ms. Spencer grad- uated from Booker T. Washington High School and continued her education at Alabama State University.
She graduated in 1958. While in Montgomery, Ms. Spencer worked with the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and often babysat his oldest daughter. After leaving Alabama, Ms. Spencer moved to Orlando, where she was one of the first two Blacks hired by the local telephone company. She has also lived in Detroit and Las Vegas before settling in Tampa. She retired from ARC
(Airlines Reporting Corp). During her tenure, Ms. Spencer was instrumental in helping the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP par- ticipate in two historic 50th anniversaries of the March On Washington in August 2013 and the Bloody Sunday, (March on Selma for Voting
Rights) in March 2015.
In addition to her service
to the NAACP, Ms. Spencer was a Volunteer at the Amer- ican Red Cross and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (USF-OLLI). A breast cancer survivor, Ms. Spencer was Vice President of Sisters Net- work, Inc., Tampa Chapter.
MS. PAT SPENCER 12/12/1936 --- 12/14/2015
She served as NAACP Sec- retary under the presidential administrations of: Mrs. Ann Porter, the late Dr. Samuel Horton, Curtis Stokes, Dr. Carolyn Collins, and current Presi- dent Bennie Small.
Ms. Adora Obi Nweze, President, Florida State Con- ference NAACP said, “Her death comes as a surprise to all of us. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to celebrat-
ing, sharing, and duplicating her life work to create posi- tive, social change for all Americans, especially Floridi- ans. She will forever be re- membered for her advocacy.
“She served faithfully in several Branches and State Conferences that travel from Florida to Michigan to Ne- vada. At a young age, Ms. Spencer had the opportunity to work with Dr. King and other pioneers to bring change to the State of Ala- bama. It is her love of and tenacity to maintain the pil- lars of this organization that should motivate us all to con- tinue this great work.”
Bennie Small, President of the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP said, “Ms. Spencer was a very dedi- cated Secretary and she served as the Area IX Director for the Florida State Confer- ence NAACP and was over 4 other units.
“She was very hard work- ing and very conscientious about civil rights and justice. She was in this position for over 17 years and surely
everyone will miss her, miss her smile, and giving us ad- vice on what we need to do.”
Mrs. Ann Porter, former President of the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP said, “I met Pat right after she moved to Tampa. She at- tended an event the NAACP held and I invited her to our next meeting.
“At the time, I didn’t have a Secretary. She volunteered and served until the end. That was her calling and she did it and did it well.
“She was very, very loyal and very dedicated, that was her passion. She never wanted to be the President or hold any other position. But, when I left, she became the Area IX Director and held that position to the end as well,” Mrs. Porter said.
In addition to her daughter, Ms. Spencer is survived by two sons, Douglas, and Wil- fred, five grandchildren, two sisters, other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Ms. Spencer were incomplete at press time. Wilson’s Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A