Judge Robert L. "Beau" Patterson

In 1985, Mayor Federico Pena appointed Patterson as a judge for the Denver County Court. In 1998, Judge Patterson made history when Mayor Wellington Webb appointed him as the first African-American presiding judge in the court’s history. Denver-area community groups, businesses, and other organizations invited Patterson to share his perspective of the Denver County Court’s services and to expound on its services and responsibilities to the community.

The responsibilities of the presiding judge include "coordinating activities and assignments of the Denver County Court judges and magistrates, working with the court administrator planning for the court, and conducting preliminary hearings in homicide cases in the City and County of Denver. The presiding judge also serves as ex-officio member of the Denver County Court Judicial Performance Commission, which reviews complaints against county court judges and the Denver County Court Judicial Nomination Commission."

Patterson’s role as presiding judge challenged him to refine his oral presentation skills. He became active in Toastmasters and was in a fast track program with the National Speakers Association. He received the Toastmaster of the Year award in 2002-2003 from the Downtown Speakeasy Toastmaster’s club.

In December 2004, after 22 years on the bench, Patterson hung up his robe and began his new "transition" from "the circuit court to the speaking court." As Patterson said, "I realized I had a passion for speaking. It’s another way of reaching people, motivating them and inspiring them to change their lives."

According to Patterson, "Please Rise," the name of his new business, "is a motivational teaching company that helps people find ways to perform at a higher level and find success." Patterson’s goal is to use his speaking skills and his judicial experience to motivate, inspire, and empower others to rise above their present circumstances and "improve upon their performance in their life and work.

"As a judge, each day when I walk into the courtroom, my clerk says, ‘Please rise.’ But this is a different twist on that – it is for you to rise – so it’s my call to you – to rise to achieve all that you can achieve, to be all that you can be."

At two years old, Patterson, the youngest of six children, moved with his family to Colorado from Michigan. Patterson’s parents purchased a duplex at 23rd Avenue and Clarkson Street, which served as the family home, housed his mother’s beauty salon, and provided rooms for rent.

In those days, Patterson says, "Every neighbor on Clarkson Street knew who the children were, and they really provided guidance for you. If you got out of line a little bit, they wouldn’t hesitate to bring it to your attention, or your parent’s attention – if necessary, take you by the hand and move you out of the way of danger, strife, or fighting."

The first child in his family to graduate from high school and college, Patterson recalled a time when he was tempted not to rise above a situation that could have kept him from his distinguished career.

"We were coming from a basketball game and we lost the game. There were a group of kids from South High School cheering. As they were coming down the stairs, one kid put his finger in my face and I swung and hit him. There were some other teachers there and they saw it. A whole bunch of other kids jumped in and it was a minor brawl."

The next day, Patterson sat across from the principal who told him he could avoid punishment if he named the others involved in the brawl. Patterson took full responsibility for the brawl and was suspended for three days. Because the suspension took place just before semester break, he earned a grade of incomplete in several classes.

"My grades were in jeopardy [due to the incompletes]. I really had to work hard that next semester. I had to redeem myself." Not only did Patterson have to redeem himself at school but also in the eyes of his disappointed parents. Ralph Beagle, Patterson’s drama teacher, encouraged him to enter a contest to be a speaker at the high school graduation. With Beagle’s coaching, Patterson won the contest. After the valedictorian and the salutatorian, he delivered the final speech at his high school graduation. Forty years later, Patterson was the keynote speaker at his high school reunion.

"I’m not perfect, I didn’t have everything handed to me, and I made mistakes, too. When I first came here and my clerk opened the door and said, ‘Please rise,’ I thought about this kid who was almost kicked out of high school stepping into the courtroom and sitting down while everyone else was standing out of respect."

Under Patterson’s direction, the Central Denver Community Court was established in Five Points for traffic infraction final hearings, small claims trials, and juvenile curfew cases. Additionally, he established four satellite offices of the Court’s traffic division in the four quadrants of the city.

"This [Five Points] is the area that raised me. I feel like I had an opportunity to do something significant for them and it became an outreach vehicle for me. Being a representative of the court, the court reaches out to the community and the community gets added value. People don’t feel as intimidated as when they come down to the City and County Building and have all these people walking around them with chains on."

Patterson says he wants to be remembered as "the home grown kid that didn’t turn his back. There’s a cartoon that shows a judge leaning over the bench, with his hand down, pulling up this kid. That’s really a vision I’ve had in my judicial career. It’s my responsibility to serve and help people who need help – to satisfy the community’s interest.

"There’s a reason I came from Five Points to high points. It’s to make sure I leave my arm back to bring others with me and bring others forward. It wouldn’t be important to me unless I felt I could transform lives. That’s the value that I add to the community and that’s what I hope I’ve left as a legacy: that a kid from the Five Points can achieve his dreams. That means there’s another kid out there who can say, ‘If Beau can do it, then so can I.’"

Editor’s Note: Patterson is married to Joyce Hurst Patterson. The couple has three sons and three grandchildren. Readers can learn more about Please Rise by writing to Patterson at 213 William Hilton Parkway, #24008, Hilton Head Island, SC 29925-4008, or by calling him at 843-342-RISE.