Patricia Swift Blalock died peacefully at home September 7, 2011.  She spent her last days surrounded by the family that loved and admired her.  Her life is a remarkable example of grace, courage, and generosity of spirit.

Mrs. Blalock was born on May 9, 1914 in Gadsden, AL.  She graduated from the University of Montevallo and attended the University of Chicago’s pioneering graduate program in social work.  She returned to Alabama and worked for the State Department of Education and Rehabilitation, traveling regularly through a 28-county district setting up clinics for children with birth defects and crippling illnesses such as polio and osteomyelitis.

Her passion for fostering the development of others  only grew during her 27 year tenure as director of the Selma-Dallas County Public library, from which she retired in 1988.  Under her stewardship the library expanded its mission as a book repository to become a center for community and individual development and progress for all people in Dallas County.  She successfully spearheaded the construction of a new library in the town’s city center in 1976 by exercising her keen talent for bringing diverse stakeholders together to achieve a common purpose. That talent, along with her fierce conviction that access to library services is a fundamental right of all citizens, was recognized by the International Library Science Honor Society when they designated her Librarian of the Year in 2000 for Exceptional Leadership in Librarianship.  She was distinguished for her leadership in the peaceful integration of the Selma Library in 1963, during a time of near universal strife and frequently violent struggles over the integration of public facilities in Alabama.  She was also recognized by the Alabama Library Association in 1992 with the Distinguished Services Award, which recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution toward the development of library service in the state of Alabama.

Mrs. Blalock’s devotion to the welfare of her community extended to leadership roles in numerous other organizations.  She served two terms as a director of the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce as well as two terms as vice president of its Tourism Council.  She chaired the Tale Telling Association which was organized at and sponsored by the library in the Festival’s early years.  She was instrumental in the development of the Old Depot Museum, an interpretive history museum in Selma.  She was a longtime director and membership chairman of the Community Concert Association in Selma and helped found the Performing Arts Center in Selma.  She was an active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Selma, and served on the Vestry there.    After her move to Birmingham in 1994 she became a member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent.  Her extraordinary intelligence, vivacity, and selfless devotion to the well being of others will continue to inspire all who knew her.

She is predeceased by her husband, John Godfrey Blalock and her brother James N. Swift (Emily).  She is survived by her daughter Irene “Renee” Sutherlin Blalock (Richard Shoemaker), her sister Irene Swift Coley (the late John S. Coley); her granddaughter Brooke Hartzog Coleman (Daniel), all of Birmingham; and her grandson John Daniel Hartzog (Lorrin Thomas), of Philadelphia, PA; great-grandchildren Isabel Brownlee Coleman, William Walker Coleman, Temple Woodson Coleman, Ray Tasso Hartzog, and Reed Swift Hartzog, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Blalock’s family is thankful for the priceless help and comfort given by Christy Barnes, Donna Peterson, and Nina DuBose; and there is no way to fully express our gratitude to Rosie Williams for her longtime care, compassion, and friendship.

A visitation with the family will be held in the Card Room at the Park Towers Condominium on Friday, September 9 from 5:00-7:00 pm.  Graveside service will be held in Selma, AL on Saturday, September 10 at New Live Oaks Cemetery at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Patricia S. Blalock Memorial Fund of the Birmingham Public Library Foundation (2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203) or to the Selma Dallas County Public Library (1103 Selma Ave.  36703).