Nan PENDERGRAST

1920 - 2018

PENDERGRAST, Nan Nan Schwab Pendergrast died peacefully on December 17, 2018, at her home at the age of 98. She was born in Atlanta on June 17, 1920, the youngest of three children of Robert W. and Helen Kaiser Schwab. Nan grew up in Druid Hills and attended Atlanta's Washington Seminary before continuing her education at Vassar College. Nan worked in partnership with Britt, her husband of 76 years, raising seven children and striving to make the world a better place. Courageous and always an optimist, Nan lived a joyful life, enriched by her lifelong belief that concerned citizens working together could affect the course of history. She was particularly devoted to advancing the causes of civil rights, peace, justice, education, and the environment, served on the boards of the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, the American Friends Service Committee, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Vassar College Alumnae Association, the League of Women Voters, and other non-profit organizations. A long-time member of the Atlanta Friends Meeting (Quakers), she helped found the Friends School of Atlanta. Nan was an active member of the Southern Regional Council, an influential promoter of integration in the South, and a leader of HOPE (Help Our Public Education), which was instrumental in the peaceful integration of the Atlanta Public Schools in 1961. She was a local leader of the Vietnam anti-war movement and opened her home to national leaders when they campaigned for peace in Atlanta. She and Britt tutored students at Margaret Mitchell School and volunteered at Emmaus House in south Atlanta. Nan had a great appreciation for, and knowledge of, wildflowers. She loved exploring, leading her young children and their friends on hikes along the Chattahoochee River and climbs up Kennesaw and Stone Mountain. She shared her love of wildflowers through talks to Atlanta area garden clubs. She chose to surround herself with beautiful flowers by working at Sears Garden Center, helping others to create and enhance their gardens. For many years, the family gathered for reunions where Nan's love for singing was a treasured part of the family tradition. A skilled writer, Nan wrote a series of articles titled "The Way It Is" for the Atlanta Constitution, describing in humorous fashion the joys, challenges, and adventures of raising children. Later in life, she wrote and published two books, Neighborhood Naturalist and For Love of the British Isles. She and Britt also edited and published News/Views, a compilation of progressive news stories distributed throughout the country. Nan is survived by her seven children: Jill MacGlaflin, John B. Pendergrast, III (Fiona), Nan Marshall (Gene), Mark Pendergrast (Betty), Blair Vickery, Scott Pendergrast (Bailey), and Craig Pendergrast (Terri), twenty grandchildren, twenty-seven (and counting) great-grandchildren, brother-in-law Dr. William ("Bill") Pendergrast, sisters-in-law Helen Pendergrast and Elizabeth ("Libba") Pendergrast, and many nieces and nephews. Friends of the family are invited to a celebration of Nan's life at the Friends School of Atlanta, 862 Columbia Drive, Decatur, on Saturday, January 19 at 2:00 pm, with a reception to follow. Donations in her memory may be made to Atlanta Friends Meeting or a charity of your choice.