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Presented Posthumously to:
Dr. William PattersonLegacy of Service Award
Commemorating individuals who have made enduring contributions to our community over the course of their lifetime, leaving a lasting legacy of positive impact as exemplified by Mrs. Rhodes throughout her life.
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Dr. Will Patterson (Dr. P) spent his life joyfully uncovering and supporting the genius of diverse individuals. The urgency he imparted about the violence that steals Black lives was matched by his optimism, energy, and generosity of spirit in collaborative, long-term commitments to young people and their families. Dr. Patterson believed that interdisciplinary ecosystems of art, science, technology, and business in higher education would position students to reach their full potential. Professionally, Dr. P created higher ed courses steeped in popular culture and social entrepreneurship, and he excelled in mentorship, collaboration, scholarship, and campus-community youth program development. But for Dr. P, work and life were one in the same. His mentorship, collaborative ingenuity, and program development landed him friends around the country and expanded his family with hundreds of young people who experienced Dr. P as a friend and father figure who saw their greatness and empowered them to find their inner genius. Everywhere you look, you will find academics and professionals who are furthering his work and impact through their own life’s work.
Dr. P graduated from Urbana High School in 1984 and carried out a self-transformation from being incarcerated by the Department of Corrections (DOC) to a doctorate (Doc) from the University of Illinois. Dr. P often said, “Look at what Hip Hop can do!”
In his lifetime, Dr. P received numerous, glorious awards, including the Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement, the Champaign County Arts Council’s Impact Award, and many, many others.
In 2009, Dr. Will Patterson received seed funding to create a mobile classroom and sound studio called the Hip Hop Xpress, which ever since has been a tool to catalyze community building on and off campus using Black cultural wealth and its legacies. The Xpress has visited new high school graduates outside their homes to celebrate their accomplishments, parked frequently in Champaign County to activate neighborhoods and parks, and traveled around the country to promote STEM activities in places like Tuskegee University and Ohio State University, meeting with like-minded faculty and students.
Responding to the huge impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, Dr. Patterson pivoted in March 2020 to launch the World Education Community Awareness and Activism Network (WECAAN), which included local youth-serving organizations and U of I students. Together, they brainstormed how the Xpress could become a node to deliver reliable, culturally responsive information about health, safety, and well-being. Born, raised, and educated in Champaign-Urbana (for the most part), Dr. Patterson’s deep roots here weave together local leaders and organizations.
Dr. Patterson didn’t think outside the box. He took the box, stood on it, and proceeded to create a set of alternative structures that aligned with his collaborative vision. He was a doer—not do-it-yourself (DIY) but do-it-with-others (DWO). He persisted in this embodied, vital, and cool work, demanding inclusion where people like him were not meant to survive.
Dr. P believed that Hip Hop is about the next generation. As the father of three young adults—geniuses in their own right—Dr. P lived this commitment. He imparted a compelling urgency to uplift generations of Black innovators and makers. His philosophies and approaches were decades before their time, but he lived long enough to see the world almost catch up to his vision and believed much good was yet to come.
Dr. P was a supporter of MLK Jettie Rhodes Neighborhood Day, having been our DJ for several years, with his children performing, and even bringing out the Hip Hop Xpress and many of the STEAMGenius gadgets. Dr. P’s work is actively and impactfully operated under his not-for-profit, STEAMGenius.org.
Dr. P unexpectedly passed away recently, and he is deeply missed. He is being honored posthumously with the Legacy of Service Award: Commemorating individuals who have made enduring contributions to our community over the course of their lifetime, leaving a lasting legacy of positive impact as exemplified by Mrs. Rhodes throughout her life.
Dr. P graduated from Urbana High School in 1984 and carried out a self-transformation from being incarcerated by the Department of Corrections (DOC) to a doctorate (Doc) from the University of Illinois. Dr. P often said, “Look at what Hip Hop can do!”
In his lifetime, Dr. P received numerous, glorious awards, including the Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement, the Champaign County Arts Council’s Impact Award, and many, many others.
In 2009, Dr. Will Patterson received seed funding to create a mobile classroom and sound studio called the Hip Hop Xpress, which ever since has been a tool to catalyze community building on and off campus using Black cultural wealth and its legacies. The Xpress has visited new high school graduates outside their homes to celebrate their accomplishments, parked frequently in Champaign County to activate neighborhoods and parks, and traveled around the country to promote STEM activities in places like Tuskegee University and Ohio State University, meeting with like-minded faculty and students.
Responding to the huge impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, Dr. Patterson pivoted in March 2020 to launch the World Education Community Awareness and Activism Network (WECAAN), which included local youth-serving organizations and U of I students. Together, they brainstormed how the Xpress could become a node to deliver reliable, culturally responsive information about health, safety, and well-being. Born, raised, and educated in Champaign-Urbana (for the most part), Dr. Patterson’s deep roots here weave together local leaders and organizations.
Dr. Patterson didn’t think outside the box. He took the box, stood on it, and proceeded to create a set of alternative structures that aligned with his collaborative vision. He was a doer—not do-it-yourself (DIY) but do-it-with-others (DWO). He persisted in this embodied, vital, and cool work, demanding inclusion where people like him were not meant to survive.
Dr. P believed that Hip Hop is about the next generation. As the father of three young adults—geniuses in their own right—Dr. P lived this commitment. He imparted a compelling urgency to uplift generations of Black innovators and makers. His philosophies and approaches were decades before their time, but he lived long enough to see the world almost catch up to his vision and believed much good was yet to come.
Dr. P was a supporter of MLK Jettie Rhodes Neighborhood Day, having been our DJ for several years, with his children performing, and even bringing out the Hip Hop Xpress and many of the STEAMGenius gadgets. Dr. P’s work is actively and impactfully operated under his not-for-profit, STEAMGenius.org.
Dr. P unexpectedly passed away recently, and he is deeply missed. He is being honored posthumously with the Legacy of Service Award: Commemorating individuals who have made enduring contributions to our community over the course of their lifetime, leaving a lasting legacy of positive impact as exemplified by Mrs. Rhodes throughout her life.