Photo courtesy of John Patterson
John Patterson, a community leader in Trussville, hiking along the Cahaba River.
John Patterson moved to Trussville when U.S. 11 was still a two-lane road. The city and the highway have grown since then, as has Patterson’s role in the community.
Patterson and his wife, Sandy, moved to town from Birmingham in 1986, after visiting Trussville as a possible place to raise their family.
“We drove through Trussville, knew it was a pretty place and stopped at what was then Herb’s Hardware, where we were given the warmest welcome,” Patterson recalled. After scoping out the schools and neighborhoods, the Pattersons knew they wanted to make the city their home.
For years, John Patterson worked for a dry cleaner in Birmingham, and in 1994 he decided to open his own in Trussville: Complete Cleaners.
“We were fortunate,” he said. “The community supported us, and we grew over the years.”
Patterson sold his business in 2015, but he continued the passion he had taken up at age 50: car racing. Patterson had bought an Audi TT, joined a car club and started racing.
“I hung up my helmet a few years ago,” he said. “I had a lot of fun times and made some really good friends.”
Patterson may have stopped racing, but he continues his work in the community. He’s a past president of the Trussville Daybreak Rotary Club, which he has been involved in since 1994.
“I take a lot of satisfaction in the things that group has done,” he said, noting scholarships given to Trussville students, water projects in Africa and community enhancements like placing benches around town and getting a Rotary International grant for the large clock on Main Street.
He also volunteers on Trussville’s Public Safety Committee and Historic Cemetery Committee.
At First Baptist Trussville, he serves as a deacon, ministering to widows, visiting those in the hospital and even maintaining church buses. His commitment extends to disaster relief efforts through Men on Missions, taking a portable kitchen that provides meals during tornado and hurricane recovery.
The Pattersons have long been dedicated supporters of Trussville City Schools, both academic and extracurricular activities. Sandy, a former fifth and sixth grade teacher, has since retired, but the couple still enjoys cheering on their grandsons in various activities like the mountain bike racing team.
When asked what he loves most about Trussville, Patterson is quick to respond, “The people. No community is better than its people.”
