Kay Patterson, a 34-year veteran of the South Carolina legislature known as a firebrand, the voice of the "little people" and a statesman, is retiring.

• Position: People & Politics - Brief article

Kay Patterson, a 34-year veteran of the South Carolina legislature known as a firebrand, the voice of the "little people" and a statesman, is retiring. Elected in 1975, the 77-year-old Patterson was one of the "Famous 13" African Americans sworn in that year, only the second class of black legislators to win office since Reconstruction. He served as chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, was a member of the Appropriations Committee and was the first African American on the...