James R. Patterson had a simple method to maintain order on his school bus as he made his daily rounds through Parkville: singing to the youngsters aboard.
"He'd sing in a rich baritone voice and put so much feeling into the songs that the kids didn't know what to think so they kept quiet," said his sister, Carol Patterson of Baltimore. "He enjoyed singing and combined that joy with his work."
Mr. Patterson, 71, who died Monday of heart failure at his Northeast Baltimore home, favored the classics of Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Perry Como, Nat King Cole and Dean Martin.
"He was quite animated when the bus stopped or when he was waiting for school to let out," his sister said.
"His arms would be all moving and all waving, and he'd walk up and down the aisle singing, 'Start spreading the news' [from the Sinatra hit "New York, New York"]. The kids were amazed and entertained," she said.
When Mr. Patterson started driving the bus about 10 years ago, he would sing children's songs or sing along with songs on the radio. But the young passengers seemed restless with that music, so five years ago the kiddie songs and radio gave way to his singing.
"All of the kids stayed happy this way," said Chuck Clay, a longtime friend. "They learned new music; they're content with Jim's music. All of the stuff he sung was just old-fashioned good music that has been around for decades."
A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Mr. Patterson moved to Baltimore in the late 1940s after serving in the Pacific in the Navy during World War II.
He worked odd jobs until 1956, when he went to work for Black & Decker Corp. He became a tool and die maker at the company's Hampstead and Towson plants. After he retired in 1987, he became a school bus driver, making his rounds until a few months ago.
Mr. Patterson had always had an interest in music and had sung with several big-band-type orchestras over the years, his sister said. He also sang in his church choir and had a large collection of records and compact discs.
Several years ago, a student who often heard Mr. Patterson's rendition of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" learned the lyrics one weekend and sang it to him the next Monday.
"I thought he [Mr. Patterson] was going to cry. That was his favorite song, and it had so much meaning," his sister said. "The boy sang it real slow like it should be sung, and just for Jim."
Services for Mr. Patterson will be held at noon tomorrow at Calvary Temple Church of God in Christ, 3018 W. North Ave. in Baltimore.
Mr. Patterson's wife of 40 years, the former Edna Bush, died in 1989.
In addition to his sister, his survivors include two sons, Glen Patterson of New York City and Thomas Patterson of Rocky Mount, N.C.; a daughter, Cecelia Patterson Mays of Baltimore; two brothers, Jerome Patterson of Fayetteville, N.C., and Michael Patterson of Raleigh, N.C.; and five grandchildren.
Pub Date: 5/09/97
