REV. SAMUEL C. PATTERSON
1952-1986
Sam was born in Fort Morgan, Colorado, on July 8, 1916 to Rev. Samuel Jasper and Lily Margaret Davis. His father was a pastor in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. His boyhood and teen years were spent in Morrilton, AR. He received a B.A. degree from Southwestern College in Memphis, and a B.D. degree from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA. While attending seminary, Sam met and later married Estelle Sellers; they had one child, Margaret Rebecca, who later became Mrs. Jimmy Rogers.
Mr. Pat as he was affectionally known, was ordained by the Roanoke Presbytery in July 1941, and assumed his first pastorate in Martinsville, VA. During World War II, he served as a Navy chaplain in the Philippines and in China. Following the war, he became the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Leland, MS—a position which he held until his call to French Camp Academy as President in 1950. He helped redefine the mission of the Academy to minister to “young people with problems not of their own making.” He was FCA President for 17 years.
Mr. Pat did not immediately become pastor of the Presbyterian Church upon arriving in French Camp but was very active in the search for a full-time pastor. When the search did not bring a suitable candidate, the congregation in 1952 voted to call him as pastor, but the Academy Board of Trustees would not allow him to accept the call, fearing it would interfere with his duties as President. A compromise was reached, and Mr. Pat agreed to serve as Stated Supply, a title he held intermittently for the next 34 years, 1952-1986.
In addition to his French Camp Academy duties, Mr. Pat found time to pastor both French Camp and Huntsville Presbyterian Churches. He also served as Moderator of the Synod of Mississippi. He was instrumental in the founding of Reformed Theological Seminary and was chairman of the Board of Trustees (1963-1974) and served as President (1975-1980). He retired to French Camp in 1980. In his later years, Mr. Pat taught at African Bible College in Yekepa, Liberia; continued to preach and evangelize; and served FCA once again by sharing its story, one dear to his heart, with potential donors.
Mr. Pat died on March 12, 1987 at the age of 70 having touched the lives of countless individuals, young and old through his preaching, his prayers, and his passion to raise up leaders for the Church. The French Camp Church officers and the Academy board raised funds in 1989 to renovate and enlarge the sanctuary and add a fellowship hall in his memory.
