Gail Patrick, Samford - Alpha Pi, 1968 Woman of the Year

A tall, slender, patrician beauty, Gail Patrick received her B.A. degree and became the dean of women at Howard College (now Samford University) where she, by chance, became a finalist in a nationwide contest that sent her to Hollywood. There the studio felt her given name (Margaret Fitzpatrick) was too long and changed it to Gail Patrick. She was groomed for bit parts and moved steadily upward to co-star or play a leading lady. She played opposite some of the major stars of the 1930s and 1940s, namely, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby, Robert Preston and Katherine Hepburn. Gail retired from motion pictures after making more than 50 pictures. When the famous Perry Mason stories were brought to television, the author, Erle Stanley Gardner requested that Gail be named executive producer, a position she held for nine successful years. She was among the first women to hold such a post in the television industry. From the beginning the show won many awards, including the Emmy and the Gavel Award from the American Bar Association. Her membership in Delta Zeta became a defining experience, one that continued to immensely important to her throughout her life.