Two lifelong Paris and Lamar County community members have been selected as recipients of the 2021 Paris Junior College Distinguished Alumni Award.
Brad Hutchison, Class of 1964 and Lynn Patterson, Class of 1974 will be honored during PJC’s 2021 Homecoming festivities on Nov. 6 at the Love Civic Center at 11:30 a.m. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed on alumni by the College.
“We are so pleased to recognize two local alumni who have not only been successful in their careers, but two men who have spent their lives giving back to our community,” said Dr. Pam Anglin, PJC President. “We hope the community will join us in celebrating these two outstanding PJC alumni.”
Hutchison has spent his career supporting the community of Paris through his law practice and in service to numerous organizations.
At PJC, he was President of the Student Senate and an athlete on the golf team from 1963-1964. He then went on to finish his bachelor’s degree at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University – Commerce) and from there attended the Baylor University School of Law. He immediately went to the U.S. Army Reserves before coming back to Paris to plant his roots.
Hutchison is involved in many local service clubs, organizations and nonprofits, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Paris Legacy Foundation, as Trustee of the McCuistion Foundation, the Evergreen Cemetery Association and as a member of First Christian Church. Hutchison is also former president of Paris Jaycees, Paris Rotary, Lamar County Bar Association, and the Paris Golf and Country Club.
He is married to Jennifer Deering Hutchison and has two daughters, Kimberly of Colorado and Alexandria of Ft. Worth. Hutchison is brother to Julie Bassano of Belk and the late Sally Ann Gary; they are the children of the late Philip Edward Hutchison and Joann Everheart Hutchison.
A well-known and respected local pioneer in education, Patterson has spent his life serving and pouring a big heart back into the community for area youth. Having lived in the Brookston area most of his life, he spent his career in education teaching at West Lamar and then serving as principal of Chisum High School for 16 years.
Even though he retired from education after 35 years of service, Patterson maintains a busy schedule as owner and operator of the Patterson Brangus cattle ranch and a member of Calvary United Methodist Church in Paris. He also plays active roles in the Kiwanis Club, Texas Ramp Project, and the Lamar County Imagination Library Foundation, which provides free books for pre-school children. He also serves as President of the Paris Junior College Alumni Association Board and of the Paris Chapter of the Texas High School Basketball Officials Association.
Patterson is married to his wife of 47 years, the former Marvin Ann King, who is currently enjoying retirement after serving as District Clerk of Lamar County for 22 years. They have two sons, Matt and Kyle, daughters-in-law Beth and Amanda and grandchildren Carly, Wesley, Wade, Van and Ryan.
“We look forward to the community coming together to honor these lifelong Paris natives,” said Institutional Advancement / Alumni Affairs Director Baleigh McCoin.
Tickets for the Distinguished Alumni Award Luncheon are $25 per person and may be purchased from the Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Affairs in the PJC Library, Room 102. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the office at 903-782-0276. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m.
