William F. Patterson

Long-time Columbus communicator, Bill Patterson, 86, died Saturday, April 22 after a brief illness. Bill was probably best known for his 22 years as the voice of the morning news on WTVN Radio, where he worked from 1962 to 1984. He joined HMS Partners as VP of Public Relations in the mid-80s and it was there that Bill developed a national seminar business, training people in public speaking and how to respond to the media. He left HMS in 1998 to form his own firm, Reputation Management Associates, which he sold in 2006 and retired.

Bill is survived by his three children: Penni Patterson and her husband Eric Howard of Austin, TX, Pat Patterson of Columbus, and Tim Patterson and his wife Heather Bussey Patterson of Ridgway, CO. Bill was devoted to, and took great joy in his grandchildren: Ted Howard, Quinn Patterson, Augusta Patterson, and Ely Patterson. He is also survived by his wonderful companion of many years, Ruth Krabach, and his former wife, Anita Morrison Patterson.

William Frank Patterson was born in Dayton, Ohio, on July 14, 1936, to Walter E. and Agnes Grace (Tausch) Patterson. It was 104o the day he was born in a not air-conditioned hospital. Bill always sent his mother a thank-you note on his birthday.

Bill served in the U.S. Air Force as a radioman in Korea and as a veteran, he was a member of Honor Flight, which flies veterans to Washington D.C. to see their memorials. Bill was also a volunteer for Visit a Veteran program at Riverside Hospital. Bill served on the board of directors of Maryhaven Rehabilitation Center for many years.

Bill Patterson earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism from Ohio University in 1962, and a Master’s in Journalism from The Ohio State University in 1968. His long career in journalism brought him many accolades and awards. He was a past president of both the Press Club of Ohio and The Society of Professional Journalists. He was a member of the Torch Club. He taught journalism at The Ohio State University and Otterbein University. As news director at WTVN, he won more than 30 journalism awards. In the public relations field, he had more than 90 articles published in national journals. Bill was the author of the booklet How to Use the News Media to Your Advantage.

In his free time, Bill rode his cherished Honda GoldWing trike, and hunted and fished at his beloved cabin at Seneca Lake, headquarters of the Guernsey County Fine Arts and Crappie Fishing Society. In the last decades of his life, he enjoyed spending time at the cabin with his grandchildren, towing them around the lake behind his boat and cooking special meals on the BBQ grill.

Bill donated his remains to The Ohio State University College of Medicine, where researchers would do humanity a great service by searching for the gene that made him such an entertaining storyteller.

Bill Patterson was a life-member of Charity Newsies, and requested that contributions be made in his name in lieu of flowers: Charity Newsies, 4300 Indianola Avenue, Columbus, OH 43214.