coe-fac: Jerry Patterson

[Maggie Bosworth]

Sent on behalf of Dr. Leslie Leve


Dear COE faculty,

It is with great sadness that I share the news that Gerald Patterson (Jerry) passed away peacefully this morning. He celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues a few weeks ago.

As many of you know, Jerry was an icon in the area of behavior science, observational research, parent training, and clinical research. He started his career as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at UO, before moving to Oregon Research Institute in the 1960's, and then founding the Oregon Social Learning Center in 1976.

His meticulous efforts to understand the nature of aggression and the role of parents, peers, partners, schools, and siblings in the maintenance and escalation of youth aggression and related behavioral and school problems has had a profound impact on the field, including clinical research in the COE. He was an ardent believer in the value of using data to guide clinical practice.

Jerry's quest to understand the nature of human aggression was a life-long endeavor. In addition to the scholarly articles and books that he is famous for in academic circles, he also published poetry on the topic of aggression, and he was working on the application of his coercion model to the societal problem of war. Rumor has it that he was watching videotapes of parent-toddler interactions to further refine his coercion theory as recently as a week or two ago. Incredible!

The tremendous impact he had on theory, clinical research, and study design will leave a lasting footprint on our discipline that will endure well beyond his time here. He will be deeply missed.  Information concerning the family wishes and possible service arrangements will be shared as they become available.







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