Roland Pattillo helped keep Henrietta Lacks' story alive. It's key to his legacy
Dr. Roland Pattillo and his wife Pat O'Flynn Pattillo paid for Henrietta Lacks' permanent headstone, a smooth, substantial block of pink granite. It sits in the shape of a hardcover book.
Henrietta Lacks was a Black mother in Baltimore who died from cervical cancer in 1951.
Her story became the subject of a bestselling book and later an HBO movie starring Oprah Winfrey as Deborah Lacks, Henrietta's daughter, and Rose Byrne as the writer Rebecca Skloot.
The headstone was unveiled in late May, 2010 at a family cemetery in rural Clover, Va. Lacks' resting place was surrounded by her family members, the Pattillos, Skloot and others. The headstone's book design was a poignant symbol of her voluminous legacy. The Lacks family chose the words.
"Henrietta Lacks August 1, 1920 - October 4, 1951"
"In loving memory of a phenomenal woman, wife, and mother who touched the lives of many. Here lies Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) her immortal cells will continue to help mankind forever. Eternal, love and admiration, from your family."
Pattillo, an African American oncologist, stem cell researcher and professor, died in May at age 89. His death went largely unreported. last month. The Nation in September. His death was due to Parkinson's disease, according to his wife, Pat. He is survived by children Sheri Pattillo Johnson, Catherine, Mary and Patrick Pattillo, and his stepson, Todd Thomas, known more familiarly as Speech,
