 PATTERSON, HUBERT H. (PAT) JR. Hubert H. (Pat) Patterson Jr. died peacefully in his home on May 15, 2014, surrounded by his many books and near his cherished airplanes. He was born to Pearl D. and Hubert H. Patterson Sr. in a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee on January 16, 1921, because there was no doctor in the small town of Davidson where his family was living. From a young age Pat demonstrated his talents with all things mechanical. As a teenager he purchased a Model T for $5.00. It was in pieces in a farmer's field, so Pat reassembled it and he had his first car. He received a degree in Physics from Tennessee Polytechnic Institute and then joined the Navy, where, because of his skill and interest with radios, he was chosen to work as a radio and radar man. After the war, he went to China Lake, California to work at the Naval Ordinance Test Station. It was there that Pat met and fell in love with the beautiful and intelligent Hilda G. Spivey. He dated her for two weeks, before deciding that she was the woman of his dreams, so he proposed and they married four months later. The following year, Pat accepted a job at Sandia Labs, so the newlyweds moved to Albuquerque in 1948. Pat worked for Sandia Labs for 28 years, managing various departments including Electronic Systems, Field Test Projects, Strategic Systems and Nuclear Testing. One of his fondest memories from his time at Sandia Labs was when he went to The White House and met with Sherman Adams, the Chief of Staff for President Eisenhower, to show him the microphone and detection device that Pat had developed with his team to reproduce the spy microphone that the Russians had placed in the Great Seal of the US in the US Embassy in Moscow. Work was interesting, but hobbies were more fun so during those years, Pat was a ham-radio operator, a white water rafter and, in 1959, he realized his dream of becoming a pilot. Flying became and remained Pat's passion (second only to his love for Hilda). In 1965, he became a flight instructor and thereafter was better able to share the joy of flying with others. After retirement, Pat and Hilda spent the next 15 years dividing their time between travel to Mexico and Oregon and homes in Cedar Key, Florida; Livingston, Tennessee and Albuquerque. They returned full time to New Mexico in 1991, when they moved to Mid-Valley Air Park. This community was a dream-come-true for Pat and Hilda. Pat delighted in being surrounded by airplanes and the people who love them and he and Hilda quickly became active and much loved members of the community. Pat was very active in the EAA Young Eagles Program, with its goal of introducing young people to aviation and he flew over 300 missions in the program. At age 80, Pat qualified for the UFO's (United Flying Octogenarians) and he continued flying and working on his planes until very recently. As one friend said, "He certainly used the whole runway!" Everywhere Pat lived, he touched people. He was generous with his time and with his numerous talents. He was frequently quiet, but he could also be incredibly humorous, with his dry and intelligent wit. He was charming and he was a gentleman. He will be greatly missed. Pat is survived by his sons, Robert Alan and Thomas Reed Patterson of Albuquerque; his daughter, Dana Patterson Roth and son-in-law, John Roth of Placitas; and his grandchildren, Kyndra Anne Patterson Roth and Micah Reed Patterson Roth of St. Paul, Minnesota. He was pre-deceased by his father Hubert Sr. in 1975, his mother Pearl, in 1978, his beloved wife Hilda, in 1999 and his sister, Gloria Lakin in 2002. The family wishes to thank the many wonderful friends Pat has, especially those in Mid-Valley, who have been like part of the family. We will forever be grateful for the love and kindness you have shown our father/grandfather. A gathering for friends and family will be held at 4601 B South Elaine Drive in Los Lunas on Saturday, May 31, starting with a "missing man formation" at 8:15 a.m. and ceremony to follow. For more information email: patpattersonmemorial@gmail.com If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Mid-Valley Air Park/EAA Building Fund, through which the joy of aviation will continue to be shared with future generations. Write checks to: MVAP Building Fund; 11 East-West Drive; Los Lunas, NM 87031. Please specify that it is in memoriam of HH Patterson.
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