Pat Owens
Encyclopedia
Patrica A. Owens 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
.
. Also in 2000, Owens was a member of the Mayors' Campaign Against Breast Cancer.
, where she moved in 2001. That same year, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters
degree from the University of North Dakota
. 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. However, she was unable to as the retirement development had been damaged by two of the hurricanes that hit the state.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
during the flood
1997 Red River Flood in the United States
The Red River Flood of 1997 in the United States was a major flood that occurred in April 1997, along the Red River of the North in North Dakota and Minnesota...
that devastated the city in April 1997. She actively lobbied then-president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
for funds to rebuild the city and construct a permanent flood protection system for the city and neighboring East Grand Forks, Minnesota
East Grand Forks, Minnesota
-K-12:The East Grand Forks School District enrolls over 1,000 students and operates two elementary schools , Central Middle School, and East Grand Forks Senior High School. There are also two private Christian schools. Sacred Heart School is a Roman Catholic elementary, middle, and high school...
.
Political career
Owens worked as the mayor's executive assistant for 33 years, before running for mayor herself in 1996. She received 76% of the vote and became Grand Forks' first female mayor. 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 Dr. Michael BrownMichael Brown (mayor)
Michael Brown is the mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota as of 2008. He spent his childhood in Okinawa and came to Grand Forks as an United States Air Force officer. He attended the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. Today, Brown is an obstetrician at Altru Health System in Grand...
. Also in 2000, Owens was a member of the Mayors' Campaign Against Breast Cancer.
Retirement
Owens currently resides in Ocala, FloridaOcala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
, where she moved in 2001. That same year, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
degree from the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
. In 2004 when Florida was struck by a string of hurricanes, she was asked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) to act as an ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
for them by trying to help give the victims some sort of hope. However, she was unable to as the retirement development had been damaged by two of the hurricanes that hit the state.
See also
- List of mayors of Grand Forks, North Dakota
- 1997 Red River Flood in the United States1997 Red River Flood in the United StatesThe Red River Flood of 1997 in the United States was a major flood that occurred in April 1997, along the Red River of the North in North Dakota and Minnesota...