Patience S. Latting Northwest Library - Oklahoma City, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 35.640 W 097° 37.045
14S E 625248 N 3939798
Patience Latting (1918-2012) was a highly educated and civic-minded leader in Oklahoma City.
Waymark Code: WMJAD3
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 10/19/2013
Views: 6
The Place: The Patience S. Latting Northwest Library, located at 5600 N.W. 122nd, opened on May 22, 2012. The library contains 35,000 square feet and has an Oklahoma prairie theme. Study areas are enclosed in glass with oil derrick imagery. Wood-slat walls are reminiscent of the oil-field equipment crates that were historically used as temporary housing. The building has large glass walls, with a dirt berm built up around the east and south sides. Inside, the library has an open construction without dividing walls. Several whimsical sculptures can be found on the premises and have also been Waymarked.
This library, the first to be added to the Oklahoma City Metropolitan System in thirty years, was named in honor of this illustrious leader of educational and governmental endeavors.
The Person: Patience Sewell Latting was a highly accomplished woman. Growing up in Oklahoma City, she graduated from Classen High School, and earned her Bachelors in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma. She went on to get a Masters in Economics and Statistics from Columbia University. She was active all her life in local educational and political arenas. In 1967, she became the first woman member of the Oklahoma City Council. In 1971, she was elected Mayor and became the first woman mayor of a U.S. city over 200,000 population. She served as mayor until 1983. She was added to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1980. Born on August 27, 1918, she passed away on December 29, 2012, a few months following the opening of this library on May 22, 2012.