Patricia L. Hill

September 11, 1942 - January 23, 2023

Dr. Patricia Liggins Hill, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of San Francisco, passed away peacefully on January 23, 2023 surrounded by her beloved family. She was 80.

Patricia, or Pat as she was known to friends, was a longtime and beloved member of the Bay Area Black community. She was born in Washington, DC, and was amongst the first class to desegregate DC’s McKinley High School. She attended Howard University where her mother Haroldine Liggins worked.

Pat arrived with her family to the Bay Area in 1968 and quickly embedded in the San Francisco Black community. She was funny and loved to be the life of the party. Pat’s other passions were collecting African and Indigenous art, and interior decorating, and had her home profiled in magazines. She also loved music, from classic Soul to hip-hop, with Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding being her favorite artists.

Pat earned her BA from Howard University, MA in 1970 from the University of San Francisco (USF), and PhD in English from Stanford University. She started her career at USF in 1970 as one of three Black faculty members and served as an Instructor of English and

Ethnic Studies. She became the first director of the Ethnic Studies Program. In 2015, Pat retired as a professor of English after 45 years of dedicated teaching and service.

She was the general editor of the groundbreaking and highly-acclaimed anthology, Call & Response: The Riverside Anthology of the African American Literary Tradition. Recipient of numerous awards, she has also published articles on Etheridge Knight, Francis Watkins Harper, and August Wilson. She stood at the forefront of advancing the field of Black Studies and many of the ethnic and cultural issues of our times.

Pat was a dynamic and popular professor whose classes filled up quickly. She created and taught a wide range of courses including Survey of American Literature, Harlem Renaissance, Survey of Women’s Literature and Survey of African American Literature I and II, as well as courses in drama and women’s studies. She was a passionate voice for student education, research, and giving back to others. Pat was also a compassionate colleague and mentor to many faculty and staff in the College and University.

She was an active community organizer, working with the Lorraine Hansberry Theater,

the African American Shakespeare Company, Sargent Johnson Gallery at the African American Art and Culture Complex, Marcus Books, and the SF Mayor’s Office to emphasize the vast artistic, political, intellectual and cultural contributions of African Americans. She also brought her classes to events hosted by these groups to help support underfunded, but important Bay Area institutions.

All who knew Pat knew her as a fighter who never shied away from speaking truth to power and acting to help anyone in need. She was an ardent friend to social justice. She was passionate about anything that she took on, was meticulous with details, and loved to push students and those around her to both do and be their best. She was a good friend, an esteemed educator and an amazing mother and grandmother, and she will be missed.

Pat is survived by her two children, Sanya and Solomon, and her two grandchildren Taesan and Tiana. They invite you to join them for a memorial service at the University of San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Church on Friday 2/17/23 at 2pm. All are welcome. In recognition of Pat’s outstanding contribution and her love for USF, her family is honored to establish an endowed scholarship at USF in her name, in partnership with the Jesuit Community. This scholarship will support black-identified students and help fund the general scholarship fund for the Black Achievement Success and Engagement program. Please send donations to: Patricia Liggins Hill BASE Scholarship, Office of Development Services, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117-1050.