Local receives PhD in Romance Studies from Duke University

Reginald Patterson received his PhD in Romance Studies from Duke University in 2016.  Patterson is the son of Eddie Littleton and Elmetra Patterson of Louisville, MS, grandson of Betsy Ann Eichelberger, son of McGee Avenue Baptist Church, Berkeley, CA, former student of Berkeley Young Musicians Program, former student of Oberlin College and Conservatory, a world traveler and now one of the few scholars in the world on Creole culture and few speakers of the Creole language with an earned Ph.D. from Duke University.

Dr. Reginald Patterson and his family moved to Louisville, MS in May, 2006 and he is proud to call Louisville his hometown even though he grew up in Milwaukee, WI and Berkeley, CA. He is grateful to former State Senator Giles Ward for being the principal author of Senate Concurrent Resolution 599 which recognized him for being the top (in the world) recipient of a prestigious French Graduate Writing Fellowship in 2014. He spent one year in Paris, France writing and researching his dissertation at the Musée du Quai Branly.

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2014/html/SC/SC0599SG.htm

Since his Ph.D. is behind him, Dr. Patterson stated that he would like to have a concert in Louisville, MS within the next year playing both violin and viola.