Patricia Anderson      PORTLAND -- Patricia McGraw Anderson, noted local author, art historian and tireless advocate of historic preservation, died peacefully on March 17, 2008, at the Hospice of Southern Maine Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, surrounded by her loved ones.      Patricia was born Dec. 17, 1930, in Lima, Ohio as the only child of Marion Cable and Vincent Philip McGraw. She attended public schools in Lima until high school, at which time she attended and graduated from The    Laurel School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Patricia graduated from Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1952, with a B.A. in Art History. She subsequently received her Master's Degree in Art History from Yale University.     In the early 1960s, she worked and traveled in Europe. Upon her return she held a position at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. While living there she married John E. Pancoast in 1957. In 1962 she moved to Maine with her first husband, Mr. Pancoast, who relocated to serve as Director of the Portland Museum of Art, where Patricia served as Director of Education. She also taught kindergarten and first grade at the Waynflete School in Portland.     Patricia was one of the early proponents of historic preservation in greater Portland. She was on the boards of both Greater Portland Landmarks and Maine Preservation, where she held the office of president for several years in both organizations. After her marriage to Richard Anderson in 1975 she continued her work in historic preservation. Patricia was a dedicated teacher of art history throughout her life and a tireless worker for the cause of protecting and preserving Maine's historic architecture. She taught a variety of art history courses for the University of Southern Maine.      A successful author, Patricia saw the first edition of her book Portland, published in 1972, sell out almost immediately. The book enjoyed additional printings in 1986, again in 1999, and most recently in 2007. Greater Portland Landmarks has described her book as groundbreaking because it was the first time that social and architectural history were brought together in one volume. It is highly readable and beautifully illustrated. It has a timeless text that has withstood the test of time. Patricia also wrote The Architecture of Bowdoin College,     Patricia Anderson     which was published in 1988. It was the first book to chronicle the architectural development of the Bowdoin College campus. Most recently, Patricia was working on a companion volume for her book on Portland architecture called Deering, which was another important work because nothing has been written about the architecture of this area of Portland before. It is hoped that it will be published posthumously since it was almost complete at the time of her death. She continued teaching and worked on finishing her new book on Portland's historic Deering neighborhood throughout her courageous battle with cancer.     Patricia has been described as one the pillars of preservation in our community. She stood up for historic preservation, always had something meaningful to contribute, and was careful in her research and thoughtful in her writing. She will be missed as an advocate.     She is survived by her children Philip White Pancoast of Goffston, N.H., his wife Judy, and their children, Emma and Louisa; Thomson Pancoast, M.D., and his wife Michelle of Greenville, N.C.; Nicholas Holbrook Pancoast, and his wife Paula of Northwood, N.H.; and Teri Lynn Anderson of Limington, and her children, Geneva, Nathan, and Harlan; and by her loving husband, Richard Dick Anderson of Freeport; and their wonderful yellow Labrador retriever, Sophie.     A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 24, 2008, at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State St., (across from Mercy Hospital), Portland. A reception will follow in the parish hall. Arrangements by Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home, 172 State St., Portland. Online condolences may be expressed at www.ctcrawford.com.     In lieu of flowers and in memory of Patricia's contribution to the cause of architectural preservation,     her family asks that     contributions be made to:    The newly created Patricia McGraw Anderson Memorial Fund for     Publications at Maine     Preservation     500 Congress St.     Portland, Maine 04101