Patricia Briggs Yates, 61, died November 20, 1995 at home in Salt Lake City.
Daughter of Dr. Philip J. Shenon, geologist, and Marian Moyle Shenon, Pat was born October 9, 1934.She was raised mostly in Idaho and Spokane, Washington, while returning to Salt Lake every year to summer at her grandparent's home, the Oscar Moyles, in Cottonwood.
She attended East High School in Salt Lake City for the last two high school years, followed by two years at the University of Utah, where she skied for the Women's Ski Team and was affiliated with Pi Beta Phi. She finished her undergraduate training at Stanford University where she graduated in history and English literature.
Following work in advertising in San Francisco, she married Herb Briggs, an art director, in 1963. His career included work with agencies Young and Rubican, B.B.D. & O., Foote, Cone and Belding in New York and San Francisco, Schuller, Briggs and Mitchell and eventually Doyle, Dane Bernbach/San Francisco.
While raising children in Mill Valley, California, Pat did free-lance writing (newspapers, magazines, ghostwriting, etc.) and volunteer environmental work, including helping establish the Golden Gate National Resource Area. She also was very interested in birds, and eventually taught community education courses on birds in Marin County.
After obtaining a teaching degree at San Francisco State University, she went into teaching in Mill Valley and taught Western Civilization, World History and Contemporary World Issues at Tamalpais High School. Her last five years in Marin County she administered and performed public relations for San Francisco State's Marine Biology Lab in Tiburon.
Her husband's death and mother's stroke brought her back to Salt Lake City. Since arriving in Salt Lake, Pat has been very active in environmental matters, her passion, and served for three years as president of Great Salt Lake Audubon, followed by four years as Chair of the Audubon Council in Utah and Conservation Chair of Great Salt Lake Audubon. She was Audubon's representative to The Wasatch Front Forum. She was organizing a Wasatch Front Land Conservancy up to her death.
She was a member of the Utah State Water Quality Board, a member of Project 2000 Committee on Utah Wilderness and a member of the Governor's Committee on Wildlife Issues.
Pat is survived by her beloved husband, Dr. William G. Yates; and children, Jeanne Briggs Woodliff of Flowell; and Dr. Daniel S. Briggs of Washington D.C.; and grandchildren, Robert Todd Woodliff and Alyssa Woodliff; and brother, Mike Shenon, of Eugene, Oregon.
Memorial services will be held Friday, November 24, 2:30 p.m., Larkin Mortuary Chapel, 260 East South Temple.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Memorial Fund of Great Salt Lake Audubon, 519 E. Northmont Way, SLC, 84103, would be appreciated.
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