Patterson, William F.

William "Bill" Patterson was born in Florida on March 27, 1926, and grew up in Green County, Pennsylvania. As a child, Patterson spent his time drawing on his bedroom furniture and the blackboards at Iron Rock School in Pennsylvania, and Kiser High School in Dayton, Ohio. As a young man, he used photography to capture images that he used as a foundation for his still-life paintings. He is still an avid artist, after spending years as both a student and teacher at the Dayton Art Institute (DAI), where he was one of few who obtained a degree in art from the DAI school.

Patterson met his wife, Jane, while they were stationed together in Seattle, Washington during World War II. Patterson and his wife both separated from the Army and married soon after on July 18, 1946.

Photography became an integral part of Patterson's life as he began his prolific career as a commercial photographer. His wife served as an assistant to his photographic endeavors and has been the driving force in his creative life. Their sons, Bill, Dan, and Tom also assisted in Patterson's photo shoots, which inspired them to all become involved with photography. Dan Patterson is now a prominent Dayton aviation photographer.

Patterson rose to prominence in the local commercial advertising community during the 1960s and 1970s when Dayton supported a thriving publishing industry. From the mid-1960s, he took thousands of photographs for a variety of businesses and subjects. He enjoyed taking photographs of architecture, and this can be seen in his professional portfolio of industrial, commercial and architectural shots.

As he spent most of his life in Dayton, Ohio, Patterson often photographed the greater Dayton area. These photographs provide a well-rounded and creative view of Dayton, and consist of views of Wright State University, downtown Dayton, the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the University of Dayton, Carillon Park, the Dayton International Airport, major highways, and farmland in Springfield. In addition to professional photographs, Patterson captured a variety of leisure activities representing Dayton and international locations. He photographed an assortment of subjects including the 1991 Cincinnati Bengals training camp, the Dayton Air Show, Jimmy and Roslyn Carter, the Grand Canyon, and a multitude of European countries and tropical destinations. Some of Patterson's work was published in Time-Life Books, and certain images were used for the US Air Force Officer's Club restaurant menus.

In addition to his career as a professional photographer, Patterson was active within the Dayton area. He served on the Dayton Public School Board for four years and was instrumental in promoting fair housing and desegregation within the district. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

William "Bill" Patterson continues to develop his photographic skills in retirement. As the photography industry evolves and modifies with the digital world, Patterson has recreated his photographic process, and his current photographic endeavors embrace this change. Much of Patterson's work now consists of brilliant scanned photographs of flowers, fruits and vegetables which can be found on his website www.pattersonstudies.com.

From the guide to the William F. Patterson Photograph Collection, 1967-1993, 1980-1989, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)