Sweet Briar College
College Relations
P.O. Box 1056
Sweet Briar, VA 24595
{P} 434.381.6262
{F} 434.381.6263
The Sweet Briar Promise outlines our distinctive approach for providing meaningful, enduring education for women. It includes:
To honor Norma Patteson Mills these days, one must practically vie for her time. The recipient of Sweet Briar College’s 2005 Outstanding Alumna Award has been in demand lately. For this busy volunteer, however, meeting demands is simply what you do.
Mills formally received the award during Sweet Briar’s Reunion Convocation on Saturday, May 28. The honor — among the highest that SBC bestows — recognizes alumnae who have given outstanding volunteer service to the College.
Mills attended Sweet Briar from 1956 to 1959, but left to marry Olan Mills II, owner of the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based national photography studio chain. Moving to Tennessee and finishing her degree in psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1960 did not diminish her Sweet Briar ties. She got involved with her local Alumnae Club and remains an enthusiastic participant today. “Sweet Briar made a big difference in my life, and I want to make sure young women will continue to have that type of experience,” Mills said.
She grew up in Amherst, but has long been active in her adopted home of Tennessee. Capping a long list of community service awards, chairmanships, and board positions, the American Lung Association honored her earlier this month as the 2005 Tennessee Woman of Distinction.
As a member of SBC’s Board of Directors, she played vital roles in the College’s strategic planning process, master planning process, and preparations for the current campaign, "Our Campaign For Her World.” During the campaign, she served as vice-chair of the Campaign Steering Committee and as chair of the Development Leadership Council. She and her husband, Olan, also a staunch supporter of Sweet Briar, made a significant pledge to the campaign. The couple made a landmark gift of $3 million to spur implementation of the largest campaign in the College's history.
Mills also works to encourage others to support Sweet Briar, especially as chair of the Annual Fund. She has been a leader in every major SBC fund-raising effort. By naming Sweet Briar in her will, she is an Indiana Fletcher Williams Associate.
