CITY OF FRESNO
Office of Councilmember Esmeralda Soria
__________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ESMERALDA SORIA, Councilmember, District 1 TYLER MAXWELL, Council Vice President, District 4
___________________________________________ ____________________________________________ MIKE KARBASSI, Councilmember, District 2 LUIS CHAVEZ, Councilmember, District 5
___________________________________________ ____________________________________________ MIGUEL ARIAS, Councilmember, District 3 NELSON ESPARZA, Council President, District 7
Is hereby presented in honor of:
Patsy Montgomery
WHEREAS, Patsy Montgomery was born “dirt poor – but family rich” in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her father was a farmer, her mother a house wife, and with her older sister, they lived in a two room home with dirt floors, a wood-burning stove, a hand-pump for water, and an outhouse. Their home burned down which prompted a move to California where close relatives helped her father access work that eventually led to a union job. She and her siblings were raised middle-class and were afforded educational opportunities due to the pay and benefits of the Iron Workers Union; and
WHEREAS, Patsy began her advocacy in the 8 th grade where she or ganized and led a successful boycott of the cafeteria at her K-8th grade school. Patsy later attended Fresno State University majoring in Therapeutic Recreation where she met her late husband, Michael. As she transitioned to engage in volunteer work, it led her to develop a child abuse prevention program for Rape Counseling Services in Fresno in the 1980 s. That project, funded by the Office of Child Abuse Prevention, eventually served 45,000 children annually in Fresno County. In the late 1980s she was honored by the California Legislature and the County of Fresno for her work on behalf of abused and neglected children; and
WHEREAS, Her career with Planned Parenthood began in 1991 as a part-time health educator. In 1995, she became the Regional Director of Education. I n collaboration with her fellow team members in Fresno, Merced, and Bakersfield, they continued school-based education while expanding their programing to include non-traditional opportunities for engagement; and
WHEREAS, The school-based education programs championed by Patsy include Drop-in Center, Destination OUT of Harm’s Way for LGBTQ+ youth ages 12-24, Promotores de Salud programs that engaged rural Spanish speaking people, Promotora program for sex workers in Fresno City and County, as well as other programs for incarcerated and marginalized youth; and
WHEREAS, Patsy has lived in the Fresno area for over 50 years where she has been officially advocating on behalf of reproductive justice issues for 39 years. As Patsy Montgomery begins a new chapter of her life, she is grateful for the strong people who have generously shared with her their life experiences and expertise, her three children, and two beautiful grandchildren.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of Fresno hereby proclaims June 30, 2022 to be:
“Patsy Montgomery Day”
in the City of Fresno
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and affixed the seal of the City of Fresno, California, this 30
th
day of June 2022.