Wanda Patterson

Wanda Patterson graduated from West Georgia College in 1969 with a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education. She taught English and journalism for 30 years at Sprayberry High School in Marietta. Since retirement, Miss Patterson has devoted much of her time to research concerning American Indians in general and the Cherokee in particular.

Miss Patterson is a 52-year member of Alpha Delta Kappa Honorary Sorority for Women in Education. She is a charter member of the Georgia Trail of Tears Association. On behalf of the chapter, she edited a volume of poetry by Cherokee writer John Rollin Ridge, as well as serving on the Trail of Tears Speakers Staff.

Miss Patterson has been a member of the Fielding Lewis Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution for twelve years. In 2015 she won First Place in the Nation for her quilt in the NSDAR American Heritage competition. In 2024 she again won First Place in the Nation for her quilt called “Stars, Stripes, and Sisterhood.” At the judges’ discretion, she was also been awarded the Evelyn Cole Peters Award for extraordinary work on her competition piece. In her role as Historian, Miss Patterson published a book celebrating 112 years of the accomplishments of the Fielding Lewis Chapter of DAR. Miss Patterson leads field trips to Cherokee historical sites in Georgia and serves on the DAR Regent’s Speakers Staff.