The University of North Georgia (UNG) set the course for John Patterson, and to this day the 1968 alumnus still credits lessons learned at UNG for his quality of life.
Patterson received the Ralph Colley Spirit of North Georgia Award in April during the 2019 UNG Alumni Weekend awards luncheon. The award is given to an alumnus who has experienced adverse circumstances in his or her life and has risen above those circumstances to live an exemplary life.
Patterson received a heart transplant in 1988 and is believed to be one of the longest-living current heart transplant recipients in the nation. He made sure to listen to what his doctors said, and he prefers to go out and live his life rather than sit at home in front of the television.
"You push yourself to excel. That's one of the things I learned at North Georgia. You always push yourself to do better," Patterson said. "All of us face setbacks. You can let those setbacks define you, or you can move beyond it."
Patterson went home from the hospital Jan. 4, 1989, and returned to work less than three months later. His mantra for the future was simple: "I'm going to get out there and live life and make it mean something for me and my classmates."
He spent more than 40 years in law enforcement ranging from patrol officer to chief of police.
That long career came after serving in the Army. As a military police officer, Patterson was deployed to Italy as a company commander. When he heard about some of his UNG classmates being killed in the Vietnam War, Patterson volunteered to serve in Vietnam.
"I felt like I owed it to my classmates to go," Patterson said.
That selfless mentality was ingrained in him at UNG, starting with Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week.
"The values instilled in me at North Georgia set my life in motion," Patterson said. "I came out with a strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie."
Patterson has enjoyed the chance to be a mentor during his career.
"You develop one of your co-workers and you watch them succeed," Patterson said. "And you take a little pride in that."
Patterson takes a creative approach to problem-solving.
"I have the ability to think outside the box," Patterson said. "I believe in involving as many people as possible in the decision-making process. The more viewpoints you get, the better the decision is in the end."
More than five decades after graduating, Patterson remains proud of his alma mater.
"North Georgia does a great job of training students for leadership positions," Patterson said.
