As chair of the Los Alamos County Library Board, Pat Mendius originated the idea for the Catalog of Giving that honors endowment contributors. A member of the Friends of Mesa Public Library Board for many years, she served as secretary for four years.

Pat married John "Jack" Mendius on June 19, 1947 in Westwood, California. The Mendius famiy arrived in Los Alamos in 1963, where Pat sang as a soloist frequently in the years between 1960 to 1970. The Mendius children, John Richard "Rick", Catherine "Cathy", Karen and Louise graduated from Los Alamos High School, where Pat was English department chair from 1965-1986. While serving on the national board for Advanced Placement (AP) English, she and the six other regional representatives wrote the AP English exams for grades eleven and twelve. Accordingly, her biography appears in "Who's Who in America."

Pat was a six-year member of the Arts Council and the first chair of the Art in Public Places Board. She completed four, four-year terms on the Los Alamos Concert Association Board serving twice as president.

Written by Karen Nilsson Brandt, copyright ©