Destinations
In Memory: Former NOBTS and GGBTS professor W. Morgan Patterson
Patterson is survived by his wife of 62 years, Ernestine N. Patterson of Longwood, Fla., two sons, W. Morgan Patterson II and Jay N. Patterson, and four grandchildren, Nolan, Jessica, Grace and Abigail.
After high school, he served as a flight officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After his discharge following World War II, Patterson entered the Christian ministry. He completed undergraduate studies at Stetson University in Deland, Fla. He continued his education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a doctoral degree in 1959. Patterson then pursued post-graduate study at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
Patterson went on to teach church history at four seminaries, primarily at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He also taught at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in the mid-1990s and, most recently, at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif.
Patterson also served as the 22nd president of Georgetown College in Kentucky from 1984 through 1991. After his “retirement,” Patterson continued to teach at seminaries and at four colleges and universities, including Louisiana College, Baptist College of Florida, Oklahoma Baptist University and Campbellsville University in Kentucky. He also served as assistant to the president of the College of the Ozarks for the Western United States.
Family and friends, along with representatives of schools where Patterson served, gathered at Tiburon Baptist Church in Tiburon, Calif., Nov. 28 for a memorial service.
Patterson donated his extensive library of church history and related materials to Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Donations may be made to the Golden Gate W. Morgan Patterson Collection, 201 Seminary Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941, in lieu of flowers.
The family wishes to extend gratitude to all those who were supportive during Patterson’s recent illness.
“We’re amazed at how many lives Dad touched,” W. Morgan Patterson II said. “I think he had over 6,000 students during just his seminary professorship.”