Bobby Patton has spent his working life as a university administrator, teacher and textbook writer.  He became full professor at the University of Kansas (1966--87), where he served as Chair of the Department of Communication and Theatre for sixteen years.  For the next seven years (1987—94), he served as Dean of the School of Arts and Letters at California State University—Los Angeles.  He spent the next five years as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wichita State University (1994—99) and subsequently became President of the University of Central Missouri (1999-2005).  Upon his retirement in 2005, the facility that houses the public broadcasting and television station was renamed the Patton Broadcasting Center.  He now resides in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife of 42 years, Eleanor.  He is co-author and editor of 22 communication textbooks including Decision-Making Group Interaction: Achieving Quality with Timothy M. Downs in 2003 (Allyn and Bacon).