a man’s passion to help save lives
My book about the patten legacy
FORWARD:
My father, Brother Steve and I were putting the finishing touches into the designs of a new family of life rafts (4-46 persons) for the government before he passed away at 96. The date was January 16, 2008.
He was the kindest man I’ve ever known.
After 70 years of working with the government to save air crewmen’s lives, our family is extremely proud to have Fred honored by the Department of Defense and, of course, President George W. Bush. After all it was dad’s one man raft that saved his father’s life.
Fred Patten made it possible for the Patten Company to remain the country’s leading manufacturer of inflatable life rafts for military aircraft.
He was the most generous man I have ever known.
His devotion to our air crewman’s safety goes far beyond the call of duty. He never felt the need for credit but, I believe this tribute to his life’s work is long overdue. The task of improving lifesaving devices is far from over. Our family will keep the inventive fires burning for generations to come.
The following is a story which I believe will tell why he deserves a place in history for his visions and accomplishments.
In 1934 Dad’s life changed. A Navy plane crashed into the ocean while performing military maneuvers. The Pilot apparently died because he was unable to survive the elements of the sea long enough for the rescue ship to reach him. He had no life raft. This pilot was Dad’s beloved brother.
Several years later, in 1939, Fred F. Patten, joined the Navy and US Rubber Company to pioneer the development of life rafts to save lives where his brother’s had been lost.
robert patten
my photography gallery
A musical family
My father played the piano every night while I fell asleep. He also was a concert violinist at 11 and played with the Philadelphia philharmonic orchestra. He was born in a music conservatory and home run by my grandfather and grandmother who were both professional musicians.
Music was always playing in the house. While we lived in Holliston Mass. (1950-55), there was a Stella tiple ‘Gambler’(10 string) small guitar/parlor size, 1929±. It only had 4 strings that dad tuned like a violin. That instrument got me interested in playing. I still have it.
The family moved to Palm Beach, Florida in 1955. When I turned 12, while my
parents were out one day, I answered the phone. It was a radio station. They said that I would win one of several prizes if I could answer a question. I said OK and the question was: what is the hardest rock in the world. I thought for a minute and answered, Dimond. Yeah, that’s right, you won, so you can choose from dance, piano or guitar lessons. I chose guitar and that was that. Went to Harris Music Company and they handed me a guitar that I could barely press the strings down. I went to a few lessons with little results before pleading to my dad for a better guitar. He found an old Gibson arch top F hole single pickup that had good action. I was off to the races. I wish I’d kept it.
After Graduating Highschool, I moved to Miami and joined “The Fabulous Chains”. We did a lot of Beatles and other covers. Our first club gig was in north Miami from 9-5 am. We played all over Miami and met some great musicians. This is where I learned a lot about Harmony vocals and what it takes to become a professional. We even had a manager! The band broke up due to our lead singer and bass player, Erny Garza, being drafted. We just couldn’t replace him. Mark Scola (the leader) went on to become a great musician and even got one of his songs on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.