Dr. Mamie Patterson 1921-2015

Dr. Mamie Salva' Patterson died May 11 at the age of 93. Patterson was a retired professor of Spanish. Alumni remember Patterson as a challenging but caring professor. Originally from Puerto Rico, Patterson taught at Roanoke from 1962 to 1987 and impacted hundreds of students over that time.

Patterson was known to instill a love of learning in her students, always sharing her humor and enthusiasm. An article about her class once said it could be found by following the laughter to the classroom. She and other language professors also hosted dinners to demonstrate Spanish cooking to their students.

Don Shockey '64 named the Patterson Meeting Room in the Colket Center after the professor who made such an impact on his life. Patterson actually failed Shockey twice from her Spanish class. The third time was the charm and under her guidance, Shockey passed the class and was able to graduate. Many students would be upset with a professor who failed them more than once but Shockey said he learned life lessons from Dr. Patterson. He discussed their relationship in the video presented when he received the Roanoke College Medal.

Patterson was a member of the Foreign Language Association of Virginia, the South Atlantic Modern Languages Association and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Patterson received recognition as a member of Sigma Delta Pi and Pi Delta Phi honorary societies. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and earned the master's degree from the University of North Carolina and the Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Dr. Mamie S. Patterson Travel Scholarship at Roanoke College. Contact Resource Development if interested in more details.