Robert B. Patterson
| Robert B. Patterson | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 13, 1921 Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Carrollton, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Residence | Carroll County, Mississippi |
| Occupation | plantation manager, former college football player |
| Known for | Founder of the White Citizens' Council, 1954 |
Robert Boyd "Tut" Patterson (December 13, 1921 – September 21, 2017) was an American plantation manager and college football player who is known for founding the first White Citizens' Council in Indianola, Mississippi in 1954, in response to the Brown v. Board of Education decision.[1][2] He also helped found Pillow Academy near Greenwood, Mississippi.
Biography
As a boy in Clarksdale, he was close friends – "playing, fishing, hunting, wrestling" – with Aaron Henry, who grew up to become a founder of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, the Council of Federated Organizations and the Mississippi branch of the NAACP. Patterson graduated from the Mississippi State College School of Agriculture in 1943. At 17, he hitchhiked from Clarksdale to Starkville to try out with the Bulldogs, "hoping to earn a scholarship to play football and study farming."
Patterson was a veteran of World War II, having served in the 82d Airborne Division of the United States Army as a major. He attended Mississippi State University, where he played college football and was a captain of the team.[3] He was a member of the 1940 Mississippi State Bulldogs team, which is the only undefeated team in the school's history.[4]
He died on September 21, 2017.
