1099 - Patterson Center
It’s no secret that individuals can have massive impacts on communities with their legacy living on for generations, leaving permanent marks on the minds, hearts, and lives of others. William Robert Patterson was one of those people.
Born in 1888, Patterson's life was wrapped up in education. After completing his Bachelors of Science in Math from Langston University, he enjoyed a 37-year career as an Oklahoma teacher, educator, and administrator. He was the first principal of Douglass High School, the first principal of Lawton Dunbar Consolidated School, and the fourth principal of Douglass School. Under his tenure, Douglass experienced tremendous growth and became fully accredited. Some of his other achievements included doubling the faculty, adding extra-curricular activities such as sports and music, and building ten additional classrooms and a gymnasium. He was tirelessly dedicated to the lives of each and every student, as well as his staff and the families they served. At the time of his death in 1945, he was working on a master’s degree with Atlanta University. To say William Robert Patterson touched the lives of many in Lawton is an understatement.
To honor the beloved educator, the city of Lawton named the Patterson Recreation Center after him. Originally the old, segregated Northside USO-YWCA building, it was rededicated as the Patterson Community Center on July 14, 1963, almost twenty years after his death. Gracing the north side of the center is a large mural featuring members of the local community and some of the Douglass students. The Patterson Center and the Douglass School, which Mr. Patterson passionately served, are also featured in the mural. The mural was the idea of another impactful community leader, Albert Johnson, Sr., the last principal of Douglass High School and former Deputy Superintendent of Lawton Public Schools. In 2011, William Patterson was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame. The lives he touched are countless and his memory remains at the Patterson Community Center, something he would be proud of.