W. Patrick Beaton passed away on July 4, 2019. He was 81 years old. Visiting will be Monday July 8th from 3 to 7 PM at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home. Funeral mass will be on Tuesday July 9th at 10 am in St. Stephen’s Church. Private cremation will follow.
W. Patrick Beaton is the 2016 Spirit Award recipient honored by Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Wings Over Wall Street. He was raised in Seattle, Washington, and has had an honorable career in the United States Marine Corps as well as a University Professor.
Pat served our country in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1958, he continued fighting for the rights of all Americans as he participated in the Voting Rights Act Marches in Birmingham. Alabama that fought end discrimination and for equal voting rights among all US citizens.
Pat has had an impressive educational background, starting at Seattle University and graduating in 1962 with his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry. He went on to study at the University of Pittsburgh and received his master’s in Secondary Education. He received both his Master’s and Ph.D in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University by 1974.
In 1974, Pat began his career as a college professor at a multitude of esteemed universities. He worked as the Research Director at the Urban Institute of the University of North Carolina from 1975 to 1979. He returned to his Alma Mater, Rutgers University to teach as a Research Professor from 1979 to 1993. From 1993 to 2013 he worked as a Professor in the Transportation Institute of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He held this title through 2013, after his retirement, as an Emeritus Professor of Humanities at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
“I’ve always felt that I must show all who I meet during the weeks, months and years I pass through that life is wonderful even through the lumps and bumps that life gives us. Within our communities through our actions we can show that ALS is a gift through which we can soften the hard edges of life for others.”
Pat has been married to his wonderful wife Yue Yu for 21 years. They had two incredible children together, William Patrick and Donald Angus.