How the Family History of a Boy from Fairfax Intersected with the Civil Rights Struggle in Alabama and the Making of a Movie Presented by Jim Patterson, United States Diplomatic Service
Writer/speaker Jim Patterson has many interesting stories to tell ranging from describing boyhood in an Alabama textile mill village, to traveling worldwide as an economics and political officer of the United States Diplomatic Corp, to being an actor in a movie which portrayed his father’s role in the Alabama National Guard during the Civil Rights struggle in Alabama. Ever mindful of public service by members of the Patterson family, Jim was motivated to a career in public service and now is inspired to describe his family’s historical intersection with the Civil Rights struggle in Alabama. His father James Glover Patterson (b.1933 d.2003) served in the nationalized Alabama National Guard during three significant historical events: the Cuban Missile Crisis, the integration of the University of Alabama, and the Selma March. Jim’s interesting family story animated him to seek to re-enact his father’s roll as a National Guardsman during the Selma March in the making of a movie. He will describe his father’s nationalized guard duty in the 1960’s and how those experiences affected the Patterson family and Jim’s values. In an attempt to memorialize his father’s public service in the Alabama National Guard, Jim describes his effort to project himself into commercial film making, into acting in the award-winning film, Selma. Although Jim has lived away from the Valley and Alabama since he finished his education, he acknowledges that he has lost his southern accent, but his core values have always been rooted here in the Valley and Patterson family history.
Jim Patterson was reared in the Valley town of Fairfax, graduating in 1973 from Valley High School and later from Auburn University. Following university, he moved to Washington, D. C., where he began his career as a Foreign Service Officer at the United States Department of State. Jim has served as a US Diplomat in Mexico, United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France and the Netherlands. He is currently stationed in Washington, D.C. He is a contributor to The Foreign Service Journal, The Hill and other publications. His graduate education includes continuing studies at Georgetown University, the Graduate School, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Foreign Service Institute.
Jim enjoys public speaking on US foreign affairs, family history and on his life experiences. He is a member of the Sons of the American Legion, Associate Member of the Korean War Veterans Association, Life Associate Member of the Vietnam Veterans Association, The US Philippine Society, Friends of Israeli Defense Forces, Donor/Member of Helen Keller International, Life Member of the American Foreign Service Association. He is a member of the Auburn University Alumni Association, Alabama’s State Society, and the Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society. He is a formerly elected official in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in Washington, D. C.