Photo by Avak Keotahian, Legislative Analyst, City Council
Former Councilmembers gather at Pat Russell memorial service.
Council: A memorial service was held March 12 for Pat Russell, the fourth woman to serve on the City Council and the first to be Council president. She passed away in February 2021; the memorial service was delayed due to the pandemic.
At least five Retired Councilmembers gathered at a memorial service held for the former Councilwoman. In attendance were former Councilmembers Robert Farrell, 8th District; Joy Picus, 3rd District; Ruth Galanter, 6th District; Zev Yarslavsky, 5th District; and Mike Woo, 13th District. Ruth Galanter was the second woman to be Council President.
The memorial service was held at Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Westchester.
Pat served on the Council from 1969-87 and was president from 1983-87. Ruth Galanter, who attended the service, was the second woman to head the Council.
“Pat was a community leader, organizer and great soul,” her children wrote in a letter as part of the invitation to the service. “She was a mountaineer. Pat climbed summits named and unnamed, and not all of those summits were mountains. She knew how to accomplish goals, how to inspire others, and also how to survive so as to be able to serve these values. Pat was herself inspired by others – that is, by her recognition that in these things, she was not alone. None of us is.”
The Club thanks Avak Keotahian, Legislative Analyst, City Council, Club Member, for submitting this important photo.
