Christopher Mark Patti ’80

Christopher Mark Patti ’80 died on August 27, 2017, after being struck by an out-of-control driver. Chris is survived by his wife, Jocelyn, and sons Vincent and Gabriel. At Dartmouth Chris was a very successful debater. He took second place at the freshman national championship in 1977 and participated in the national championships in 1979. He was a member of Phi Psi and a newscaster at the radio station. After Dartmouth, Chris attended the University of Virginia Law School, where he was articles editor of the law review. He then clerked for Judge Frank Johnson, author of numerous important decisions promoting civil rights, on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Thereafter, Chris moved to the Bay Area, which he quickly came to love. He worked at a prominent law firm before becoming a lawyer for the University of California, eventually rising to chief counsel for the Berkeley campus. He was proud to help guide Berkeley, which he considered the finest public university in the world, through many challenging legal issues. Chris was highly accomplished and deeply knowledgeable in widely divergent fields. He ran a 1:36 half marathon at age 58 and was a competitive cyclist, but he also could discuss the finer points of cooking, espresso, photography, chess, music and politics. Though he spent his life in communities of bright people, Chris stood out for the breadth and depth of his intellect and his ability to put it to good practical use.