Ulster County Unveiled Floyd Patterson Exhibit

By Journalist Dr. Ms. Jones

KINGSTON – On Friday, February 28thThe Ulster County Executive’s Office and The Ulster County Clerk’s Office unveiled The Floyd Patterson Exhibit and Biographical Panel. The event celebrating the former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, and Civil Rights Activist took place at The Ulster County Office Building in honor of Black History Month.The exhibit is part of a mobile series.

“This is a traveling exhibit. So, after it’s done here, it can go anywhere else in the county. And this is one of many. So, we did one on Peg Leg Bates last year. We have one on Sojourner Truth, Henry Rose Branch, Jr, who’s a really interesting character listed as the first Black baseball player in America by John Dorn, the official MLB historian… Again, they can travel all over the county, even beyond the county…This historic Profile Series was started… five years ago,” said Taylor Bruck, Ulster County Clerk, whose public speaking teacher at SUNY Ulster was Jennifer Patterson, Floyd Patterson’s daughter.

The exhibit includes historical context about Patterson’s career, his advocacy for boxers’ rights, and his personal relationships with other notable figures like Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston. International Boxing Hall of Fame and Olympic Hall of Fame Inductee Floyd Patterson moved to New Paltz in 1972 after he retired from professional boxing. He opened a gym in New Paltz to train and coach boxers.

“This was a man who was an Olympic Gold Medalist at the age of 16. This is a man who first won his World Heavyweight Championship at the age of 21 and was the youngest person to do it to that point… Growing up in New Paltz, it’s unavoidable to be personally touched by Floyd Patterson. I talked to numerous family members, friends, and colleagues from New Paltz in the previous few weeks about his impact, about what they remembered about him and his boxing was never brought up… He’s remembered for his kindness and the impact he had on this community. He had a constant presence in local schools,” said Eddie Moran, new Ulster County Historian, who went to the same church as Floyd Patterson and remembers him serving communion.

Beyond his athletic achievements, Floyd Patterson advocated for social justice, supporting Civil Rights protests and visiting injured Marines in Vietnam. Post-retirement, he worked for boxing reforms to protect athletes’ financial security.

Jonathan Palmer, County Archivist, highlighted the importance of preserving local history, such as images of Floyd Patterson and the significance of these archives in fostering community interaction and storytelling. He gave insight on the Biographical Panel which included newspaper clippings about Floyd Patterson’s boxing as well as photos of him visiting troops in Vietnam and visiting local blood drives and community events.

“This is amazing to be able to see. So, I definitely wanted to come and see in person,” said Winston Queen, Committee Member for Black Business Awards, who received a personal invitation to attend the unveiling. ‘[It’s important that we celebrate Black History all year]… The only way we’re going to change is if we change it. So, we did… We took out the ‘Month’ and everything is ‘Black History Kingston.’” (blackhistorykingston.org).