Since nobody writes news obituaries around Asheville any more, I occasionally have to pick up the slack.
Earlier this week, the local newspaper ran the obituary of Patricia Brinkley, a tireless community worker who recently passed away. Brinkley was known for her work to promote the rural culture that remains such a cornerstone of our community.
Brinkley made our community a better place to live. She’ll be missed.
Here’s part of her obituary, which tells of her accomplishments better than I can:
Patricia was employed by the WNC Development Association in 1976 (later to become WNC Communities). She was elected president in 1987 and served in this position until she retired in 2002 at which time she continued to work as director of special projects and as a consultant as long as she was able.
Pat played a role in development and expansion of agricultural facilities in Western North Carolina, including the North Carolina Arboretum, WNC Farmers Market, the McGough Arena and the Mountain State Fair at the WNC Agricultural Center, the Research and Extension Center in Fletcher, and expansion of facilities at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville. She worked with farmers in many ways to help promote their commodities. Some of this work was done through efforts of six agricultural commodity commissions. Pat especially enjoyed every opportunity to work with youth either through projects and programs of the WNC Community Development Program or agricultural projects, including annual livestock shows. One of the things Pat had a love for was working with communities through the WNC Community Development Program, a cooperative effort between the WNC Development Association and the NC Cooperative Extension Service. At times there were as many as 250 communities and other groups participating, including programs for youth, senior citizens, schools, and beautification programs.