Fred Patterson, newspaper publisher and patron of the arts in Denton
passed away Saturday, February 19, 2022
Fred Patterson has had, in effect, two successful careers, one as an ad
salesman and newspaper publisher, the other as a patron of the arts and
leader in the establishment of the arts in Denton.
Fred rose from ad salesman at the Denton Record-Chronicle to become
publisher and eventually owner with his wife, Patsy.
His contributions to the development of the arts in Denton were recognized by President
Ronald Reagan, who wrote: "If there is one thing that shines through the list of everything
you've done for the visual and performing arts in Denton, it's devotion to your community.
How heartening to come across dedication like yours, and to hear about what the cultural
climate can do for a community and for the nation. So many thanks."
That accolade from the president came in 1986 when Fred was presented the
Community Arts Recognition Award (CARA) by the Greater Denton Arts Council.
Fred William Patterson was born on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 1929, in Decatur, Texas,
to Carrie Lou and James Venor Patterson.
Fred was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Sons of the Republic of
Texas and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Fred graduated from Decatur High School.
He graduated from the University of Texas with a BBA in 1952. He had been active in
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).
Fred came to Denton in 1955, where he joined the sales service department at Moore
Business Forms.
He married Patsy Cross on Sept. 6, 1958.
Fred started in the advertising department at the Denton Record-Chronicle in 1958 and
in 1960 became the ad manager. Riley Cross, owner and publisher of the newspaper, died in
1970, and his wife, Vivian Cross, Patsy's mother, became the owner and publisher. Fred was
elected assistant publisher in 1970.
Vivian Cross retired in 1986, and Fred became the publisher. He and Patsy became the
newspaper's owners. In 1999, they sold the paper to A.H. Belo Corp., publishers of the Dallas
Morning News. Fred then retired.
Fred's achievements in developing the arts and as a patron of the arts are exemplified in
the many honors he has been given.
In 1986, he received the CARA award, the Community Arts Recognition Award, from the
Greater Denton Arts Council, which he helped found. The award was for outstanding
contributions to the arts in Denton.
Clovis Morrison, development vice president of the GDAC, said at the presentation:
"One of the Chamber of Commerce's primary goals and functions is to use its resources
for the development of the cultural welfare of the community. No other chamber member has
done more in the furtherance of such goals as Fred Patterson."
In 1995-96, Fred received the Josh Award , the president's award from the Denton
Community Theatre.
Morrison was on the board of the Arts Council. He got Fred interested in being on the
Chamber of Commerce Arts Council in the early 1960s. The rest is history.
The city's theater group was using an old fire station and called it the Fire House
Theatre. It was inadequate. Fred was chairman of a committee to raise funds for the
renovation of the Campus Theatre when Interstate Theatres decided to close the movie
house. He and his committee raised $1.8 million. Some of it was Fred's own money. To raise
money, Fred led a drive to sell new seats for the theater. For a certain amount of money in
contributions, the donor's name was placed on the back of a seat in the new theater.
Later, Fred led the drive to buy a new Steinway piano for the Campus Theatre. He
raised $55,000. A member of the Steinway family came to Denton for the installation of the
piano and autographed it. It is stored in a specially built room at the theater.
To raise money, trips to New York were sold so patrons could see plays on Broadway.
Fred led the way.
In the 1980s, Denton needed a place for the visual arts. The initial plan was to take over
the old city power plant at Hickory and Bell Avenue on the west side. (The site is now the
Denton Central Fire Station.) Because of various problems, that plan was abandoned.
Fred became co-chairman of the drive to raise money for a new Center for the Visual
Arts. The target was the old city power plant on Hickory and Bell, east side. (The GDAC later
renamed the CVA the Patterson-Appleton Center for the Visual Arts in honor of Fred and Roy
Appleton Jr., general manager of the Record-Chronicle.) In addition, the Pattersons
established the Riley Cross Memorial Garden at the center in honor of the late owner and
publisher of the Record-Chronicle.
In 1977, the Chamber of Commerce had an Appearance Committee for beautification of
the city. Fred was head of the committee that planted 170 redbud trees on Carroll Boulevard.
In 1982, Fred was co-founder of the Redbud Festival that became the Spring Fling and
which later morphed into the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival.
Beyond the arts, Fred contributed to and led fundraising for many other community
projects.
Fred was chairman of the drive to establish the Historical Park on Carroll Boulevard and
Mulberry behind the county's administration building. He and his team raised $525,000 to
move the historic Bayless-Selby House to the park and restore it.
He was chairman of a committee to raise money to establish television Channel 2 for
Denton after it was discovered that the educational channel had been available to Denton. He
and Roy Appleton Jr. led that effort. The channel later was sold to KERA in Dallas. He also
was vice president of the Friends of WRR, the radio station owned by the city of Dallas.
The Denton Holiday Lighting Association was founded to provide Christmas decorations
for the Square. Fred was founder and co-chair.
He was a member of the board of the Texas Chamber of Commerce in Austin, the
Denton Amphitheatre Association, the Denton Tree Board, the Denton Main Street
Association and the Denton Chamber of Commerce, among others. He is past president and
past campaign manager of the United Way of Denton County. He was vice chairman of the
Volunteer Council at the Denton State School for the mentally handicapped.
His financial leadership has also been applied to Denton's two universities.
In 1980, he was involved in the organization of "An Evening at the NTSU Symphony"
that raised money for the School of Music at the University of North Texas. In 1981, Fred
helped establish a Pops Concert series by the North Texas State University Symphony to
raise scholarships for the music school and money to send the NT Symphony to perform for
the Texas Music Educators Conference. He was co-founder of the Friends of the Symphony
at UNT.
In 1985, he received a University of North Texas presidential citation. He became an
honorary member of SAI, the national music fraternity.
Fred served as the community representative on Search Committees for dean of the
School of Music, for provost at North Texas, and to fill the job of vice president for marketing
and communications at UNT.
He served on the President's Council at UNT and the North Texas Athletics Trustees.
He also has served on the President's Council at Texas Woman's University and as a
member of the TWU Foundation.
He is a life member of the University of Texas Ex-Students Association in Austin.
In the area of community business, he has been president of the Denton Chamber of
Commerce, was on the Governing Board of the Denton Regional Medical Center. He
received the Otis Fowler Award from the Denton Chamber of Commerce in 1982.
Fred was a member since 1972 of the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, where he
served as an elder.
He is survived by sons Bill Patterson, and wife Beth; and Riley Patterson. He had five
grandchildren, Will Patterson, Walker Patterson, Ann Patterson, Claire Springer and Libby
Lokey. He had two great-grandchildren, Georgia and Mollie Springer.
The family would like to thank Joyce and Hannah Thuo for all their help and support.
The family will receive visitors at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church on Wednesday,
February 23, 2022 at 1:00 pm. Service will follow at 2:00 pm with interment immediately
following at Roselawn Memorial Park in Denton, Texas. The service will also be live streamed
available at standrewdenton.com
Pallbearers are Will Patterson, Walker Patterson, Ben Ivey, Quint Ivey, Bob Fisher and
Joe Fisher.