URBANA – People gathered to celebrate the life of STEM educator William Maurice Patterson at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday.
Patterson died on April 2 while traveling. He was 58 years old. He is survived by his wife, Lori, three children, a grandchild, and a sister.
Foellinger Great Hall was packed for the first half of the service.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” said Patterson’s cousin Marcus Reid. “He was a giant to so many people and he meant so much to so many people from all walks of life, all different ethnicities, all represented here today.”
Patterson aimed to bring STEM education to Black and underprivileged communities.
He used his love for Hip Hop as a teaching tool to connect with these communities.
“He meant so much. I mean, it was almost like bringing what we know – in our community, in our neighborhood – he brought it to the world,” said Reid. “So, as he invited so many different people to our world, and to use hip hop to do it.”
The brightly painted Hip Hop Xpress Double Dutch Boom Bus would regularly visit neighborhoods to showcase different technology, like remote control cars and drones. There was also a studio on board.
They called the service a celebration of his life.
“It’s a celebration of his life his accomplishments of his journey and what he did, and the testament is right here and with all these people, he has a 1000 of people here to represent him,” said James Pettigrew, longtime friend of Patterson.
There were more than seven speakers at the service inside Foellinger Great Hall, including children from the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club in Champaign, where Patterson worked in the late 1990s.
Among those who gave eulogies: University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts Dean Kevin Hamilton; University of Illinois College of Education Assistant Professor, Education Policy, Organization and Leadership Malaika Mckee-Culpepper; State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Champaign), and Champaign County Clerk and Recorder Aaron Ammons.
The Champaign-Urbana Community Choir performed. His son, William Jordan Patterson spoke and played clips of his father.
The service ended with everyone leaving to fill the hall into the lobby of Krannert to attend the after party with food and DJ music. Patterson was an aficionado of Hip Hop music.
A common theme of the service and the note they ended on was “It don’t stop.”
A common phrase used by Patterson meaning that the work doesn’t stop and neither does his legacy and the celebration of his life.
