Page 58 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 2 Winter 2013

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Mr. Patterson received both his B.A.
(1962) and his Ph.D. (1968) from Yale.
During his time there, he was awarded
two prestigious fellowships: the Woodrow
Wilson and the Carnegie. He went on to
study at the University of Toronto, Johns
Hopkins University, and Duke University
before returning to Yale to teach medieval
literature. From 1996 to 2000, he chaired
the University’s Program in Medieval
Studies. His first book, Negotiating the Past,
was responsible for bringing renewed
interest to medieval studies, according
to his obituary in Yale News.
Mr. Patterson was a popular professor,
known for infusing seemingly dry subject
matter with excitement and bringing rele-
vance to antiquated texts. “Being in the
presence of a teacher and scholar such as
Lee Patterson reminded me of the value
of passionate and gifted teaching,” one stu-
dent said in a course evaluation provided
by Mr. Rulon-Miller.
Mr. Patterson served on the board of the
American Civil Liberties Union for many
years. Dedicated to his career, he also lived
a rich and adventurous life. One of his
favorite memories, according to friends,
was cross-country biking through Eur-
ope with his children.
He is survived by five children: Thomas
Patterson, Anne Patterson, Felicity Laudisa,
Jason Endicott, and Charles Patterson;
eight grandchildren; his brothers; and
half-sister Patricia Patterson ’82.
1960
Leighton Chapman Atteberry
West Point gradu-
ate, Vietnam vet-
eran, and career
project manage-
ment specialist
for ExxonMobil,
died at his home
in Houston, Texas,
on June 18, 2012,
following a six-
month battle with lymphoma. He was 69.
Mr. Atteberry was born on August 18,
1942, in Portland, Ore., to Roy Leighton
Atteberry and Priscilla Ropes Atteberry.
He attended public schools in Arlington,
Va., before enrolling at St. Paul’s School
in 1956. He was known at St. Paul’s as a
congenial student and an excellent athlete,
participating in cross country, track, and
hockey. He was also a member of the
Scientific Association and Dramatic Club.
After graduating from St. Paul’s in 1960,
Mr. Atteberry went on to West Point, grad-
uating with honors from the U.S. Military
Academy in 1965, a distinction that did
not go unnoticed by the St. Paul’s family.
“To have distinguished yourself in so
distinguished a place is a real tribute to
your own good gifts, and it certainly is
heartening to us at St. Paul’s School,”
Rector Matthew Warren wrote in a letter
to Mr. Atteberry in 1965.
Mr. Atteberry served in the Army for
five years upon graduating from West
Point, completing tours in Germany, Viet-
nam, and the U.S. before accepting a job
with Esso Research and Engineering Com-
pany (now Exxon). In a 30-year career
with the oil giant, he held positions in
locations all over the world, including
London, Colombia, Singapore, San Fran-
cisco, and Canada. He retired from Exxon
in 2000 and began another satisfying
experience as an independent consultant
in project management technology for
the energy industry, primarily with Exxon.
Mr. Atteberry was married for 47 years
to Janet Krank Atteberry. He was an avid
reader, a lover of classical music and opera,
and an enthusiastic outdoorsman who
enjoyed fishing, backpacking, cycling, and
bird watching.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Atteberry
leaves a son, Christopher Atteberry; a
daughter, Tamera Fahed; sisters Gail Fusco,
Trois Moore, and Carol Atteberry; and
three grandchildren. He was buried with
full military honors in the U.S. Military
Academy Cemetery at West Point, N.Y.
1970
Robert Luther “Rhino”
Edens III
who earned his
nickname on the
gridiron of St.
Paul’s, died on
July 10, 2012, in
Palm Beach, Fla.,
at the age of 60.
Born Decem-
ber 27, 1951, he
was the son of
Robert L. Edens Jr. and Frances Talbert
Knight. Mr. Edens and his family spent
his first 10 years in Ardsley-on-Hudson,
N.Y., before moving to the North Shore
of Chicago, a change that was difficult
for this lifelong New York Giants fan,
though he later wrote in his application
to St. Paul’s, “I settled down and found
that I liked living in the middle west very
much.” Prior to arriving at St. Paul’s, he
attended Greeley and Skokie Schools in
Winnetka, Ill., where he was highly re-
garded by his teachers.
Mr. Edens entered St. Paul’s as a Third
Former. His large stature and gregarious
personality earned him the nickname of
“Rhino” on and off the football field. He
was a member of La Junta and the Forum.
During his Sixth Form year, he joined a
group of 52 SPS boys in a nine-week
exchange program with the all-girls
Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass. The
exchange was described in an SPS press
release as “the longest co-educational
exchange ever attempted by two inde-
pendent schools.”
Mr. Edens served as a dorm supervisor
as a Sixth Former. A former faculty mem-
ber wrote, “Edens has been a wonderful,
wholesome, outgoing boy who adds a lot
of warmth to the community.”
Following his graduation, Mr. Edens
entered the University of Virginia and
joined the St. Elmo fraternity, where he
became a legendary member, described
in a 2003 New York Times article as
someone who “wore sunglasses indoors
and played Monopoly with cash.” Mr.
Edens was described by friends as an
iconoclast and skeptic. He was also
known to be extremely generous with
family and friends.
After an early career in the securities
industry, he became a collector and
dealer in English and American antiques.
He leaves behind many devoted friends
as well as his sister and brother-in-
law, Stephanie and Jay Wilson; and five
nieces and nephews, including a godson,
Luke Wilson. Friend “Tres” Davidson III
wrote on behalf of the Form of 1970,
“We will always remember Rhino for
his indomitable spirit. Just as with our
patron saint [St. Paul], Rhino didn’t
suffer fools gladly. . . .”
DECEASED