NATICK: William L. Patton, Jr., age 87, a longtime Natick resident, World War II veteran, and lifelong railroad enthusiast, died peacefully on Thursday afternoon, December 25, 2014, after a brief illness. He was the beloved husband of Mary J. (Chappell) Patton for 61 years.
Born in Cambridge and initially raised in Wellesley, he was a son of the late William L. and Bianca (Pancoast) Patton. After the family’s 1939 move to Arlington, Bill went on to graduate from Arlington High School in 1945. He had worked as a soda jerk at Olive’s Drug Store in Belmont Center prior to landing the job of his dreams – working after school for the Boston & Maine Railroad at Belmont Crossing. His responsibilities were those of caretaker and mail handler, and he split his time between the railroad and work as a civil defense messenger until he was drafted into the Army in 1945. Bill served stateside, overseeing camp maintenance crews, editing camp periodicals, and overseeing troop schooling until ultimately working as a separation counselor for returning troops until his own separation.
Bill returned to the Boston & Maine part time while continuing he education on the GI Bill, earning his B.S. in Public Relations in 1951. By 1954, Bill was an advertising agent for B&M, and within a couple of years appointed Executive Office Assistant. As he expanded his public relations skills in print ad and writing, he took on the responsibility of all the display advertising for the Wayland Town Crier. In 1964, Prudential enlisted his talents as a writer, covering the development of the Prudential Center in Back Bay. In 1965, he became employed with the public relations consulting firm of Newsom & Co. in Boston.
Over the course of the next several years, Bill volunteered his time and talents to the American Cancer Society. He offered insights in a lecture on “publicity for non-profit organizations” as a guest speaker at the Boston Center for Adult Education; his alma mater, Boston University; Harvard University; NE College; and Simmons College. Bill continued with Simmons, becoming an adjunct lecturer/instructor in their School of Journalism, and went on to do the same with Northeastern University’s Journalism Department. After a year as an account rep for the McKinney Company of Boston, Bill was hired in 1978 as an advertising rep by the N. E. Press Association. He was appointed Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Association in 1980, and retired in 1992. For several years he had also worked in display advertising, sales, and special section layout for the Wellesley Townsman.
Bill’s long list of affiliations include: charter member of the B&M Historical Society, member of the Walker Transportation Collection of Beverly, Railroad Enthusiasts of Boston, Natick Historical Society, life member of the Seashore Trolley Museum of Kennebunkport, ME, Co-Chair Railroad Wheels, life member of the Friends of Bedford Depot, the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society of Scranton, PA, and the Carriage Association of America.
Bill is survived by Mary, their loving daughters, Judith P. Kaplan and her husband Steven of Acton, and Heidi C. Patton of Arlington; their grandchildren, Lauren, Rachel, Seth, and Sabina; and his brother, Anthony S. Patton and his wife Christine of Topsham, ME.
There will be no public service.
Mr. Patton requested that any gifts made in his memory would benefit the Locomotive #3713 Restoration Project, c/o the National Railway Historical Society, Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Chapter, P.O Box 3452, Scranton, PA 18505-0452.