A funeral service for former Auburn Mayor Annie Berenice Pate, 87, a Placer County resident for 49 years and an authority on the culture of California Native Americans, is Monday, May 23, at 9:30 a.m. In the Chapel of the Hills.
Mrs. Pate, who was born Feb. 1, 1907, in Pittsburgh, Pa., died May 15, 1994, in a Carmichael convalescent hospital after a long illness.
“Mrs. Pate was a remarkable woman whose selfless civic contributions greatly enhanced the City of Auburn,” said Bud Pisarek, Auburn's current mayor, upon being informed of her death.
“She was a real front-runner, a champion of women being involved in the political scene,” said Terry Cook, former county supervisor who lives in Auburn. “She was a grand lady who did a lot for this community.”
Before settling in Auburn in 1945, Mrs. Pate and her late husband, Waldo, a physician, spent several years in Alturas, where she became interested in the customs and histories of the Pit River and Modoc tribes. She began what was to become one of the most impressive collections of Indian artifacts in California.
After Dr. Pate became a member of the medical staff at DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, she took an interest in the Indians of the Sierra foothills, notably the Maidu and Miwok tribes.
Her collection of artifacts grew over the years and now consists of 350 items, mostly baskets but also morters, pestles, beads, and heads of weapons. The collection was housed in her home for many years, and has been on display in a second floor room at the Auburn City Hall since last year.
Mrs. Pate frequently taught Indian culture classes to Auburn school children until her illness.
After her husband died in 1965, Mrs. Pate took an active role in Auburn government. She was elected to the city council in April 1966 but resigned in October of 1967 to accept an appointment as executive secretary of the Indian Affairs Commission of California. When the commission was abolished by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan a few years later, she returned to local politics and was elected to the City Council in 1970 and again in 1974. She served as mayor in 1970 and 1972. She was also named in Those Who Make Memories, the Auburn Centennial.
Cook said Mrs. Pate's involvement was unique. “Not a feminist, but always in her own way, and classy. She was a role model for us,” Cook said.
Mrs. Pate attended nursing school in Fresno before her 1927 marriage in Reno to Dr. Pate. Her affiliations included memberships in the Order of the Eastern Star, White Shrine, Job's Daughters, Girl Scouts, Placer County Historical Society, Auburn Business and Professional Women, Campfire Girls, and the League of California Cities. She was listed in “Who's Who of American Women.”
Survivors include a daughter, Carol Kooi of Auburn, eight grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. A second daughter, Roberta Bowden, and a grandson preceded her in death. An aunt, Anne Ballard of Auburn, also survives.
Burial will be on Monday at 2:30 p.m. at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, San Mateo County.
Donations may be made to the Maidu-Miwok Indian Scholarship Fund, in care of Bank of California, 874 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA 95603, 885-3701.
Chapel of the Hills is in charge of arrangements.