Pate made history in 1994 when she was appointed to Governor Jim Folsom’s cabinet, becoming the first woman to serve as director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations. In 1998, she again broke barriers, becoming the first woman to run for governor since Lurleen B. Wallace in the 1960s.
Over her distinguished 35‑year legal career at Sirote & Permutt (now Dentons), Pate earned a reputation for excellence and service. She also played a vital role in shaping UAB’s Kirklin Clinic, helping lay the groundwork for the institution’s growth and impact.
Founded in 1970, the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame provides a permanent place of honor for Alabama's most outstanding women. Pate joins trailblazing Alabama women in this prestigious list including Helen Keller, Julia Tutwiler, Lurleen B. Wallace, Tallulah Bankhead, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Harper Lee and Kathryn Tucker Windam. Other Samford women that have been inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame include Ida Vines Moffett, namesake of Samford’s Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing, Nina Miglionico ’33, Helen Shores Lee, ’JD 87, and many other women whose lives and work were integral to shaping Alabama’s story.
The Women’s Hall of Fame is located at the University of West Alabama in Livingston, Alabama.
