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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of William M. Patterson, Ph.D., who
4passed away on April 2, 2024; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson, a native of Urbana, earned his
6Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of
7Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); and
 
8    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson worked as a clinical associate
9professor in the School of Music, College of Fine & Applied
10Arts at UIUC, and he also served as an adjunct lecturer in the
11School of Information Sciences and the College of
12Engineering's Technology Entrepreneurship Center; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson was heavily involved with Illinois
14Public Media, serving on the Community Advisory Board for
15Illinois Soul, the Black-focused radio service from Illinois
16Public Media that launched in February 2024; he also
17co-created Illinois Public Media's Youth Media Workshop,
18providing instruction to local Black youth on how to turn
19interviews with their elders into stories for WILL radio and
20television; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson served in many other positions

 

 

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1around the Champaign-Urbana area, including associate director
2of the Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center on the
3UIUC campus and chief teen officer at the Don Moyer Boys and
4Girls Club in Champaign; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson was the recipient of a number of
6accolades; at the time of his passing, he was to receive the
7Distinguished Alumni Award from the Champaign Urbana Schools
8Foundation; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson, affectionately known as "Dr. P",
10was an educator who worked tirelessly to bring STEAM (science,
11technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education to
12under-resourced Black neighborhoods and to empower students to
13tell their own stories through his Hip Hop Xpress Double Dutch
14Boom Bus Innovation Lab & Data Center; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson will be remembered for his
16contributions to youth education and the arts; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Dr. Patterson is survived by his wife, Lori Gold
18Patterson; three children; a grandchild; and a sister;
19therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
21ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of

 

 

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1William M. Patterson, Ph.D. and extend our sincere condolences
2to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
3it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
5presented to the family of Dr. Patterson as an expression of
6our deepest sympathy.