Mr. Charles F. Patton was given the duties of Principal of the Unionville Middle School while it was still under construction, and he was a sixth grade teacher at UE with a concentration on Mathematics. From the creation of teams (four, by color then!), to the daunting task of synchronizing the incoming three grades: from the Unionville Junior high (seventh and eighth), and sixth grade classes from both Chadds Ford and Unionville Elementary Schools, he was handling an extraordinary job! He shouldered the responsibility of this successful union, and struggled to balance teachers from all three schools, plus a handful of new staff, as we opened the new Middle School in January, 1973. It was a drizzly, raw day, but there was a line of both staff and students from the ground level Junior High to the doors of Unionville Middle School, with EVERYONE who was physically capable carrying boxes of books and supplies while Maintenance brought in furniture and equipment by truck. We all had a sense of pride and enthusiasm in our new school, with Mr. Patton glowing with his new building taking its first steps toward becoming the District's, and his, Pride and joy! (We were referred to frequently as the Taj Mahal, as we enjoyed air conditioning throughout, and sparkled with new facilities and grounds.)
Mr. Patton hired me in April of 1972, which was formalized in May of that year, to begin teaching Art in September in the Junior High, and then the transition to the Middle School. Of all the interviews I went through with District Administration, his was by far the kindest and most familial, and he impressed me with his intimate enthusiasm and love of teaching and children. He was always very paternal to his younger staff and it took me many years to stop addressing him as "Mr. Patton".
He wrestled with calling the school only "Unionville Middle School", as any student who was inducted into our short-lived Junior Honor Society will attest. I was instructed, as its first sponsor, to refer to and letter the honored students' certificates with "Unionville-Chadds Ford Middle School". He was both honored and humbled to have our building named after himself!
As many of our staff and community are aware, Charles was dedicated to his school, its sports teams, and the building's use until his final year. As both a substitute (he preferred Math, of course!), and more routinely, the beloved instructor of the CCo. Night School's Bridge Class (which was a social and scholarly group), Charles was a presence in his domain. Four of his five children were students and athletes in the MS, and four thus far of his grandchildren have also passed through its halls. He will live on in so many ways, even though the school has grown both physically and in curriculum and diversity beyond his wildest dreams in 1971!! He will be watching over it now through his next life, and hopefully as awed by its students and staff and their goals in education as he was 42 years ago! He was definitely a hands-on administrator, and a caring and personally investigative friend!
May the legacy of Charles F. Patton live on with future generations 0f the UCFSD community!
Carol A. Lehr Little
Former Patton MS Teacher
