Pat Montandon(1928-2025)

Born in Oklahoma, Pat was the daughter of a minister. She began her adult life as a fashion model. She would move to San Francisco in 1960, where she modeled, became a television show hostess, and finally a newspaper society columnist with the San Francisco Examiner. She later accepted the position as manager of a Joseph Magnin clothing store. She was married several times, once to attorney Melvin Belli, which only lasted several days. Her last husband was millionaire Al Wilsey, to whom she was married during the 1970s. During that time, she was known as a prominent figure in the world of San Francisco society. In 1980, Al very publicly divorced Pat to her great humiliation. Though she went through a difficult period, she would go on to found the "Children as Teachers for Peace" (later renamed "Children as the Peacemakers") where she made more than 37 tours around the world with school-age children. She would hold meetings and "round table" discussions with such luminaries as Premier Zhao Ziyang of China, Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Pope John Paul II, Indira Gandhi, and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize three times and received the United Nations Peace Messenger award in 1987. Her peace work has been recognized with awards from Turkey, El Salvador, The People's Republic of China, India, Norway, and the Medal in Memory of Anne Frank from the Russian Republic. She is the author of several best-selling autobiographical books, including "How to be a Party Girl", "The Intruders", "Celebrities and their Angels", "Oh the Hell of it All" and most recently, "Peeing on Hot Coals."