Dr. Richard Patterson, Professor Emeritus, Passes

GAINESVILLE, FL: Dr. Richard Patterson, Professor Emeritus in ISE at the University of Florida, passed away at age 80 earlier this week. Dr. Patterson was a faculty member in ISE from 1963 through 1970, after graduating with his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He was a preeminent researcher in stochastic processes and mathematical modeling, and had a very long and internationally recognized career in the field of quantitative ISE studies. Dr. Patterson advanced very quickly in his career at UF. In that short time, he became a professor of both ISE and Statistics, and was the graduate coordinator of the department from 1966-1970. One of his students, Dr. Mario Padron, was the first Ph.D. graduate of the ISE department, and went on to serve a distinguished career as a faculty member at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.

Dr. Patterson returned to the University of Michigan as a professor in 1970, where he had a very successful 26-year career. The University of Florida was fortunate enough to have him return as a visiting professor from 1996-2001, where he left his indelible impression on the ISE department for a new generation of Gator students. As just one of his lasting legacies, he and his wife Carolyn bestowed a generous donation on the ISE department in 2005, establishing the Patterson Graduate Fellowship for outstanding Master’s students in ISE. The Pattersons’ devotion to ISE, and to each other — as they had recently celebrated their 60th year of marriage — stand as a testament to the very best that our graduates can be.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 28th at 4PM, at the Williams-Thomas Funeral Home on Main Street.