2021 DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN AWARDEES
The Honorable Cecil B. Patterson, Jr., J.D. Retired Appellate Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals
T he Honorable Cecil B. Patterson, Jr. (Beta Chi 1961) practiced law in the Phoenix community after having retired from the Ari- zona Court of Appeals, Division I, on June 30, 2003, with eight years of service. He was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Fife Symington on July 25, 1995, to a position which had been cre- ated as the sixteenth seat on the Court. Judge Patterson also served as the Acting Presiding Judge for the Glendale City Court from September, 2001, to October, 2002. Judge Patterson served as Chief Counsel of the Human Services Division for the Office of the Arizona Attorney General from 1991 to his Court of Appeals ap- pointment. Before beginning his tenure with the Attorney General’s Office, Judge Patterson served as a Superior Court Judge in Maricopa County for 11 years commenc- ing in 1980. During part of this time, he served as Presiding Judge of the Criminal Department and as a Juvenile Court Judge. From February, 1975 to April, 1980, he was a trial attorney with the Mari- copa County Public Defender’s Office. Judge Patterson engaged in the general practice of law as a
partner with a local law firm and practiced law with the Phoenix Urban League and the Maricopa County Legal Aid Society from 1971 to 1975. Professional associations include membership in the National Bar Association and it’s Judicial Coun- cil, and the Arizona, Maricopa County and the H. B. Daniels Bar Associations. He also served on the National Association of Attorneys General’s Civil Rights Committee. Judge Patterson served as the Chairman of the Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission, on the Tem- pe Community Council, Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board; and has served on the Minority Advisory Commit- tee - Arizona State University, the Boards of Directors of the Valley of the Sun YMCA and the Valley of the Sun United Way. Other community activities include having served on the Boards of Directors of the Maricopa County Branch of the NAACP, the Mari- copa County Chapter of the Red Cross and Southminster Social Service Agency.
sity in 1971 after having served five years on active duty with the United States Air Force. He graduated with a B.A. in His- tory from Hampton University, Virginia in 1963.
Judge Patterson is married and has two children.
“Enjoy yourself, but stay focused. Work to get the best out of your educational training.”
Judge Patterson earned his law degree from Arizona State Univer-
18 | SUMMER 2021 ♦ THE JOURNAL
VIRTUAL 85 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING
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