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Ken Patterson photographs

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.VIS478

Scope and Contents

This collection contains photographs taken by Ken Patterson while he was a staff photographer for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Images include Atlanta buildings and scenes, such as the Baltimore Block row houses, Stone Mountain Industrial Park, and Atlanta Stadium. Sporting events are also featured, including a baseball game between the Atlanta Crackers and the Syracuse Chiefs in 1964, as well as images of golfer Bobby Jones (1902-1971) and Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology) football coach Bobby Dodd (1908-1988). Also included in the collection are photographs of Ivan Allen Jr. (1911-2003) during his political campaigns for mayor in 1961 and 1965, as well as images of his family’s office supply firm, the Ivan Allen Company (formerly known as the Ivan Allen-Marshall Company).

Of particular note are images of a memorial service held for Atlanta Art Association members killed in the 1962 plane crash at Orly Airport in Paris; images of a rally organized by Emory University students in favor of the Vietnam War in 1965; images of George Bright after his trial for the Temple synagogue bombing; and photographs of a 1966 demonstration in which Vine City residents occupied a section of Magnolia Street and danced to protest the lack of a recreation center in the neighborhood. All images were taken in Atlanta, Georgia, unless otherwise noted.

Dates

  • 1954-1986, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Biographical / Historical

Kenneth "Ken" Levoid Patterson (1927-1988) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Isaac Travis Patterson (1903-1973) and Edna May Patterson (1911-2009). The family moved to Mississippi, where he graduated from Pearl River Junior College in 1946, and attended Millsaps College before joining the military. He served in the United States Army as a corporal from 1946 to 1947 and as a writer and photographer during the Korean War. He married Marlene Brantley Patterson (1932-2016) in 1953 and the couple had three children: Susan (1955-2000), Kimberly (1957-2003), and Gregory (approximately 1964- ). Also in 1953, he joined the Atlanta-Journal Constitution as a staff photographer until 1966 when he began serving as the Director of Audio-Visual Services for the Mead Packing Corporation. During this time, he attended Georgia State College of Business Administration (later Georgia State University) and graduated in 1957 with a degree in business administration. In 1968, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives. He was a president of the Atlanta Press Photographers Association, a member of the Sigma Delta Chi fraternity, and the Democratic Party Chairman for South DeKalb County.

Extent

7,290 image(s) (6,801 black and white negatives, 430 color negatives, 45 color photographic prints, nine contact prints, four black and white photographic prints, and one color slide)

Language

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff. Control numbers are intentionally out of order to maintain alphabetical order.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Some images in this collection are located in cold storage (CS) as indicated by the descriptive inventory. Patrons must allow 24 hours after retrieval of item(s) before viewing material.

Some of the images have been digitized and are available at: https://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/digital/collection/p17222coll50.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 2009

Bias in Description

As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.

Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2025.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Ken Patterson photographs
Subtitle
ahc.VIS478
Author
Ben Conklin
Date
July 2025
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/
Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040