A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF AN ORDINARY CHEMIST'S LIFE

I was born in the small college town of Pullman, Washington sometime in the last century. Technically, Eisenhower was still the president. I happened to be the last of 7 children born to Maxine and Eugene Patterson (they too also grew up in Pullman).  Being the youngest I reckon that I was the most skillfully raised by two people I consider to be innately loving.  I have very fond memories of being raised in a large family.  Though I got my fair share of brotherly and sisterly teasing and tormenting, I enjoyed the general ‘ruckus’ of a large family.  I remember lots of laughing.   We all still live in the great Northwest as we Patterson’s tend not to venture too far away from home.  My sister Sarah was somewhat of an exception as she left to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska at the age of 18 to work on the oil pipeline.  She is as they say ‘one tough cookie’.

When I graduated from Pullman High School I ventured out into the world by attending Washington State University, also located in Pullman.  At WSU I received my bachelor’s degree in chemistry.  I enjoyed my undergrad years as it was a small department and I had many chemistry buddies whom  I drank beer with and chatted about chemistry.  My main ‘mentor’ was Dr. Don Matteson who was a very kind, smart and encouraging organic chem. professor.  I helped him on projects having to do with ‘Chiral induction techniques using organoboranes.” Yes I know what you’re thinking…’How fascinating!”

After I finished at “Wazzu” (as they used to call WSU) I ventured off truly far from home to Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona.  The minute I stepped out of the car when I arrived the entirety of my Being knew that I was out of place in Arizona.  It was over 115 degrees and very hot and dry.  I ‘stuck it out’ there for a whole year taking graduate classes in chemistry but was very miserable with my existence there.  (Click here to see where I lived). I did however meet two exceptional friends that today are still important friends to me.  One of these friends, Mark, a witty and accomplished social scientist introduced me to his circle of friends who also ended up being some of the most important friends of my adult life. One could say that moving to Arizona was ‘meaningful’ in this respect.

After suffering in the desert for 1 year I moved to Seattle to attend graduate school at the University of Washington. Ahhh, back to the finest state in the union. At UW I learned a great deal of chemistry and got my masters degree a few years later.  I specialized in organic chemistry synthesis (the making of molecules—a lot like cooking really) and my advisor was Stan Raucher who is also a first rate photographer. When entering graduate school it was my intention to get a PhD and be an awesome scientist but sometime in the middle of my second year  I noticed that I really only cared about my teaching duties and not my research.  Once I came to the conclusion that it was ok for me to be a teacher and not a researcher I felt right with the world again.

After I got my degree I was fortunate enough to get a job in the UW chem. dept where I had just graduated (I really don’t move around too much in my life).   There I was in charge of the undergraduate organic chemistry labs.  I managed the labs, wrote up experiments, and taught some of the labs.  An excellent job that involved the perfect combination of physical work and mental work.  I  also got run of the much touted IMA building on the UW campus.  It was here that I developed my badminton, racketball and spring board diving skills.  Believe it or not, but I once tore my Achilles tendon playing badminton.

After working at UW for 15 years I got in impulse to see what teaching at a community college would be like.  I was very happy at UW but sensing that perhaps I was getting stale and moldy by being there for so long.  In 2003 I was hired on at North Seattle CC and have being enjoying life here as much as I did at UW.  Granted, I miss the UW’s sheer stellar campus beauty and great food on the ave, but the pleasant small friendly environment and quality and character of students at North more than compensated for that.

I do have a few somewhat random interest and hobbies.  About 15 years ago I had the realization that one should learn how to play a musical instrument before one departs this world.  I decided to take up the fiddle.  I am an extraordinarily mediocre player but there is nothing finer than being at Ravenna park early in the morning jamming away. I was fortunate to have a wonderful fiddle teacher, Elizabeth Lovelace who also taught the famed ‘fiddling from scratch’ class for UW experimental college.  Her husband, Kent Lovelace, a truly exceptional landscape painter, got me interesting in painting (as a viewer, not a painter) and the arts in general.

And how can you live in this region and not love the outdoors?  Hiking on Mt Rainier is one of my favorite summertime ordeals.  Once in a while I get the notion to climb Rainer but have yet to do so.

During the Reagan era, I used to take cross country bicycle treks across the country.  From Seattle I’ve bicycled to Minnesota, San Francisco and Iowa.  The first trip (to Minn) was the best, one of those ‘Challenge & Response that makes you better’ situations. 

And believe it or not I used to Palm read, I don’t know why but there was a time when it just fascinated me and it certainly made me a hit at parties.