In Memory Of

Pam Price

 

Pam Price


Pam Price was a wonderfully generous, loving, kind, helpful, amusing, giving soul. I met her through Salukis, of course. She took a boy from my very first litter. Over the years I have stayed with her many times and thoroughly enjoyed her company. I was always sad that we did not live closer to each other, which would have enabled me to spend more time with her. She was a talented artist and each time I visited, she would send me home with a piece of her artwork. We had one of those friendships where you could not talk for a while and then when you did talk, pick up from where you left off as if no time at all had passed. I was devastated to hear of her passing. We had arranged for me to go and collect Zara and take her to the National for Pam. Even though Pam was no longer there, Travis said we should still go and stay and take Zara with us to the National. It was bittersweet to be in Pam's house, surrounded by her artwork without her there. Zara took a 5 point major at the TSE shows before the National and I almost felt Pam looking on with delight. Zara came home with me and the very next week took a specialty major to finish her show Championship. Pam would have been over the moon and I will always feel that Zara's swift finishing with 2 amazing majors was with Pam watching over us. Pam is greatly missed by her friends and dog family

--Fiona Bennett--

 

 Pam Price was a long time Saluki owner and lover, belonging to the Saluki Club of America and the Galveston Bay Saluki Club in Texas. She was a dear friend to many people in both organizations. She generously donated the SCOA Triathlon trophy, as well as to the Galveston Bay Saluki Club in many ways, always giving of her time and talents generously to the clubs. Everyone enjoyed spending time with her. Her wit and conversations were always a delight, as she could make almost anyone laugh, even about the crazy politics of life. She had an infectious grin and a twinkle in her eye. She also opened her home and her guest house/studio, which was next door, to friends anytime they were visiting or passing through. It was such a delight to stay with her, enjoying her banter, her art, and the camaraderie which made any visit with her a lot of fun. She will be so missed by so many. 

--Diane Divin--

 
Pam Price was a lovely person and a strong supporter of Saluki rescue. She donated generously to STOLA to cover much needed veterinary medicine for rescue Salukis. She will be very much missed by all of us at STOLA.

--Janet Noll, Cherie Fehrman, Linda Davis - STOLA, Saluki Tree of Life Alliance--

 

Pamela (Pam) Jayne Champion Price, artist, educator, creative visionary, and advocate for so many, died Sunday, May 22, 2022, at 77 at her home in Odessa, Texas. She was born in San Francisco on June 9, 1944, the first of three children, while her dad was stationed there after Pearl Harbor. The family later lived in South Carolina, Ohio, and Georgia. During her childhood, Pam was a Girl Scout, played softball and basketball, and rode horses when she had the chance. She and her brothers Wayne and Steve celebrated winters in Ohio snow sledding and summers in Georgia at the lake water skiing. Pam attended Georgia State after high school and went to the University of Georgia to obtain a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking, graduating in the late 1960s. 
 
Pam married Joel Roderick (Rod) Price in Decatur, Georgia July 18, 1970. The couple moved right away to Washington State and remained there while Rod worked on his law degree, later relocating to Lubbock, Texas, where he graduated. Pam and Rod then moved to Odessa, where Rod joined a law firm and started his career. By 1974, Pam had taken a position teaching art at The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB). She would later become head of the Art Department and Dean of Humanities.
 
Pam was a magnificent spirit and a generous, supportive teacher. Her students loved her, and she taught each one as an individual. Her critiques invited students to learn and grow as artists and as people. As their champion, she was generous with her time and was the same toward other artists, no matter their experience or ability. At one point, Pam purchased the home next door to her own in Odessa and turned it into her studio. She kept art and supplies there, with the frequent invitation to students and friends to join her for lively conversation, creativity, and bridge. Pam was devoted to art and never retired from it. Ever.
 
She kept up with those in her world, and that world was vast. She was upbeat, made you laugh, and could banter with the best regarding politics. Pam loved being home, in her yard, and entertaining. She was good-hearted, fun, enthusiastic, helpful, and genuinely interested. It felt good to talk with Pam. She was direct, fierce, and a force of nature. She worked hard and was a go-getter. Pam practiced the rare art of not only writing thank you notes but of often sending them as handmade art cards. She embraced others, made time to connect, and never complained. Pam was part of a birthday group that met for almost 20 years, celebrating birthdays and, often, Christmas together. She was naturally authentic in all her relationships. 
 
Pam's vision, perception, and tenacity resulted in the expansion of art at UTPB. She served the University until 2009—35 years—always seemingly ahead of the curve, both locally and globally. A fierce advocate for women and the arts, she was a force in moving UTPB to a four-year degree university. During her tenure, she oversaw nearly every critical phase of the creation of the art major, from hiring faculty to building curricula. She was pivotal in imagining, planning, and developing the Charles A. Sorber Visual Arts Studios on the UTPB campus. She was named the Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rochester Professor in Fine Arts in 1981. In 1985, she received the Amoco Outstanding Teacher Award and, in 2002, the Piper Professor award.
 
With so many and so much to be devoted to, Pam's deepest affection may have gone to her dogs Isky, Meesha, Zara, and Kash, and a little mix Rod picked up along the way named Harley. All but Harley were Salukis, a breed Pam admired for their beauty, considering them elegant and stylish, and would go on to participate in shows and earn championships. Pam was competitive and enjoyed the game. By the late 1990s, these same beloved dogs also appeared in her art.  
 
Those left to cherish her memory are her brother Wayne and his wife Carolyn Finney Champion; her brother Steven's wife Deborah Powell Champion; and aunt, Patricia Laughter, and uncle, Randall Champion; nieces and nephews Megan, David and his wife Shalene, Mikala and Michael; and great-nieces and great-nephews Sarah, Kayleigh, Brent, Emy Lue and Marloe.  

Pam is preceded in death by her husband, Rod Price; parents John Clyde and Lorraine Weber Champion; and her brother Steven Champion.

--Contributed by Travis Woodward-- 

 

In loving memory, from:
Diane Divin, Fiona Bennett, Gina Hayden,
Bill & Cindy Brown, Travis Woodward
and all of Pam's many friends
in the Galveston Bay Saluki Club and at STOLA