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CSUF Center for the Study of Human Nature Hosts Symposium to Honor Late Professor John Q. Patton

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A thoughtful warrior, a voracious learner, a champion for students, quiet, respectful, kindhearted and fun. These are some of the words scholars, former students and colleagues used to describe John Q. Patton, the late Cal State Fullerton professor known for decades of work as an evolutionary anthropologist and tribal warfare specialist.

An Oct. 25-26 symposium hosted in his honor focused on “Interdisciplinary Collaborations in the Evolutionary Social Sciences.” Scholars from Arizona, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, Utah, Virginia and Canada gathered at CSUF to share research in such areas as coalitional psychology, health and reproduction, environment and adaptation, climate change and sustainability, evolution and human nature.

The symposium was sponsored by Cal State Fullerton’s Center for the Study of Human Nature, Division of Anthropology, Department of Psychology and Department of Philosophy, as well as CSUF student clubs Association for Primate Evolution Studies and Society for Interdisciplinary Research in Evolution.

Following the symposium, scholars celebrated Patton’s life and work at the Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton, where Amir Dabirian, provost and vice president for academic affairs, posthumously conferred Patton’s emeritus title.

“Every time I saw John, he had a beautiful smile,” said Dabirian. “He was kindhearted and really wanted to help every single person who came across his path. He cared about our students, our faculty, his friends and other scholars and wanted everyone to be successful. As the university continues to grow, we will always see John’s footsteps and the impact he left on all our students.”

Patton joined Cal State Fullerton’s faculty in 2005 and served in various leadership roles, including coordinator of the evolutionary anthropology program and member of the Academic Senate Executive Committee.

Laura Zettel-Watson, associate dean of faculty and academic programs for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, shared her admiration for Patton as a scholar and colleague.

“John was a staunch advocate for our students, especially those who faced barriers or were otherwise marginalized,” said Zettel-Watson. “When discussing administrative policies and procedures, John could always be counted on to keep conversations centered on our students. 

Patton
John Patton, professor emeritus of anthropology

“What I respected most was how he would approach these discussions: He always remained soft-spoken and respectful to everyone,” she said. “He spoke with such strength and passion and conviction that he always got his point across, never alienating anyone in the process and always inviting folks in for further conversation.”

James Zerbe, a former CSUF student and doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, had the opportunity to travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon twice with Patton to collect data for his master’s thesis and dissertation.

Patton’s life work included launching a field site in Conambo, Ecuador, in 1992 with his wife, Brenda Bowser, who is also a professor of anthropology at CSUF. Patton led 12 research trips to the site to examine life among the Achuar and Sapara tribal community.

“I feel really privileged because I got to go on some pretty amazing adventures with John, and there’s an incredible consensus about his impact on everyone,” shared Zerbe ’17 (M.A. anthropology). “John was a voracious learner. Some people think that once you start teaching, you’ve learned all the things you need to learn. But John never stopped learning.

“It’s amazing for us to come together and honor John in his life’s work,” said Zerbe. “When I look back on everything — coming here to Fullerton and being John’s student — I can’t imagine a better place to have ended up. I’ll miss him for the rest of my life.”

Contact:
Lynn Juliano
ljuliano@fullerton.edu