Boyd Crumrine Patterson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 9th President of Washington & Jefferson College | |
| In office March 24, 1950 – June 30, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | James Herbert Case, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Howard J. Burnett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 23, 1902 |
| Died | July 12, 1988(1988-07-12) (aged 86) |
| Spouse | Mary Eleanor Dennison |
| Alma mater | Washington & Jefferson College |
| Profession | Professor |
Boyd Crumrine Patterson was an Americanmathematician and the ninth president ofWashington & Jefferson College.[1]
Patterson was born inMcKeesport, Pennsylvania, on April 23, 1902, and graduated from Washington and Jefferson College in 1923, completing his studies in three years.[1] He was a member of the well-known Crumrine family ofWashington County and a third-generation W&J graduate.[1] His father, John P. Patterson, was a member of W&J's class of 1885; his grandfather, Boyd Crumrine, a noted local historian, was in Jefferson College's class of 1860.[1] He was also a member of thePhi Kappa Psi fraternity.[2]
For graduate study, Boyd went toJohns Hopkins University where he studiedinversive geometry withFrank Morley. In 1926, he wrote a dissertation "Differential Invariants of Inversive Geometry" for his doctoral degree.
Patterson returned to Washington & Jefferson College as a member of the faculty from 1926 to 1927 before taking a mathematics professorship atHamilton College. Continuing to collaborate with Morley, they co-wrote a paper on algebraic inversive invariants in 1930. In 1943, Patterson became the chair of the mathematics department at Hamilton.[1]
In 1950, he returned to W&J to assume its presidency.[1] In that position, he oversaw curriculum revisions, updated admissions standards, and generally enhanced Washington and Jefferson's reputation.[1] All told, 17 buildings were constructed during Patterson's tenure, including thePhi Gamma Delta fraternity House, theWilbur F. Henry Memorial Physical Education Center, tenGreek housing units in the center of campus, theU. Grant Miller Library, the Student Center, the Commons, and two new dormitories.[1] The athletic fields also were improved. In 1952, the college's two war surplus barracks, Washington Hall and Jefferson Hall, were dismantled.[1] During his presidency, the college's endowment expanded from $2.3 million to nearly $11 million.[3]
On December 12, 1969, the Board of Trustees authorized the admission of women as undergraduate students, to be effective in September 1970.[1] Dr. Patterson retired on June 30, 1970.[1] He died of a stroke on July 12, 1988, in his home inClinton, New York.[3]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President ofWashington and Jefferson College 1950–1970 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
