March 20, 2007 (Online)

By Kristen Daum

The State News

Former East Lansing City Manager John M. Patriarche, a man known to the city as "Mr. East Lansing," died Sunday. He was 89.

A resident of the city for much of his life, Patriarche served East Lansing's government for 37 years, 28 of which were spent as city manager. During his tenure, Patriarche helped expand the city boundaries and draw businesses to the area. He died of natural causes.

"He was one of immense integrity," said his son, Dennis Patriarche, of East Lansing. "He put everything else above himself. He cared a lot about the city and the people who worked for him."

Patriarche also spent time working with MSU presidents and students throughout his career, Dennis Patriarche said.

During the political unrest that overcame MSU as a result of the Vietnam War, many students wanted to talk with Patriarche personally, Dennis Patriarche said, recalling a particular instance when his father told him of such a student who came to City Hall.

"(The student) had no shoes, long hair and a beard," Dennis Patriarche said. "He didn't think he would actually get in to see (John M. Patriarche), but they ended up having a nice conversation.

"He had no problem sitting down and talking with them and listening to their concerns or issues."

Upon Patriarche's retirement from East Lansing city government in 1976, the former Alton Park — located at Saginaw Street and Alton Road — was renamed John M. Patriarche Park.

In a Jan. 12 State News article on Patriarche's life in East Lansing, Patriarche jokingly acknowledged his namesake, saying, "I guess if you get old enough, they do stuff like that."

Patriarche served as a mentor for current City Manager Ted Staton, who learned the job under Patriarche's tutelage.

"We would have lunch, and he would come to meetings with me," Staton said. "He was an enormous source of wisdom. It has been somewhat intimidating to have taken the job that he set the standards for — he has set the bar of comparison."

Even 30 years after he stopped working for the city, Mayor Sam Singh said there are aspects of Patriarche's tenure that still are evident today.

"There's not a part of East Lansing that he hadn't touched in one way or another," Singh said. "His legacy, as an individual and to the city of East Lansing, is one of public service. In my term as a council member and now as mayor, our history and our community is so connected to his work."

The East Lansing City Council will further honor Patriarche's influence on the city through a resolution they will vote on during tonight's meeting at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall, 410 Abbott Road.

"It's another way for us to remember somebody who has had such an impact on the community, to recognize the commitment," Singh said.

Visitations will be held from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. today at Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Home, 1730 E. Grand River Ave. The funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Peoples Church, 200 W. Grand River Ave.