Seyon, Patrick - Dictionary of African Christian Biography

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It may lack sources and proper academic verification for accuracy.</div> <img src="/images/bio-pics/liberia/seyon-patrick/seyon-patrick.jpg" class="icon"> <p>Born in Sasstown, Liberia, on Sept. 4, 1938, Patrick Lawrence Nimene Seyon lost his parents at a young age. His stepparents sent him to a Catholic school run by the Society of African Missions. There the teachers made him feel more welcome than at home and helped him to develop a deep faith.</p> <p>He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Liberia and taught for several years in Monrovia. He went on to get a master’s from Kansas State Teachers College, and a second master’s and a doctorate in higher education administration at Stanford University.</p> <p>In 1981, while serving as a vice-president at the University of Liberia, he was jailed on false accusations of plotting to overthrow the government of Samuel Doe. In prison, he was severely beaten and tortured twice a day, leaving him with lasting scars. However, he did not harbor any anger or bitterness against his two jailers from that experience but remained a compassionate and generous man.</p> <p>He moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he taught for a few years, in particular as a lecturer and scholar at Harvard University.</p> <p>After Doe was ousted Seyon returned to Liberia where he became president of the University of Liberia. He believed that “Universities worldwide have a collective responsibility to humanity in providing knowledge and skills for human survival and preservation of the environment” (Boston Globe, 10/25/2020). When he finally returned to Boston, he worked at Boston University and Northeastern University, and later became a professor and administrator at Roxbury Community College.</p> <p>According to his second wife, Barbara Green Seyon, students loved him and were inspired by him. He had three children from his first marriage.</p> <p>Patrick Seyon died on October 13, 2020 in Arlington, Massachusetts.</p> <p>Michele Miller Sigg</p> <hr /> <p><strong>Source:</strong></p> <p>For the full story, please see: <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/25/metro/patrick-ln-seyon-an-educator-who-survived-being-tortured-liberia-dies-82/">Boston Globe article</a></p> <hr /> <p>Michele Sigg, PhD, is Executive Director of the DACB.</p> </section> </div> </article> </div>  <div class="page__footer">  <div class="awards-wrap"> <div class="awards"> <a style="width: 33.33%; display: block; float: right;" href="/about/awards/"> <img class="awards__icon" src="/assets/images/asa-award.png"/> </a> <a style="width: 33.33%; display: block; float: right;" href="/about/awards/"> <img class="awards__icon" src="/assets/images/neh-award.png"/> </a> <a style="width: 33.33%; display: block; float: right;" href="/about/awards/"> <img class="awards__icon" src="/assets/images/eb-award.png"/> </a> </div> </div> <footer> <div class="foot-box">  <div class="box"> <h3>Donate</h3> <p style="margin-bottom: 1em;"> <a href="/donate/"><img alt="QR Code" src="/assets/images/qr-dacb200.png" ></a></p> <a href="/donate/" class="btn btn--inverse-long">Support DACB</a> </div>  <div class="box__end"> <h3>Journal</h3> <p>Sign up here to receive the quarterly <i>Journal of African Christian Biography</i> and DACB News (FREE).</p> <div style="margin-top: .5em;"> <div id="mc_embed_signup_small"> <form action="//dacb.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=485445b23ed18ff0163e2d7a1&id=68e419fc0f" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" target="_blank" novalidate> <div id="mc_embed_signup_scroll"> <div class="mc-field-group"> <input type="text" value="" name="FNAME" class="" id="mce-FNAME" placeholder="First Name"> </div> <div class="mc-field-group2"> <input type="text" value="" name="LNAME" class="" id="mce-LNAME" placeholder="Last Name"> </div> <div class="mc-field-group-wide"> <input type="email" value="" name="EMAIL" class="required email" id="mce-EMAIL" style="font-size:.62em;padding: 4px;" placeholder="Email Address"> </div> <div id="mce-responses" class="clear"> <div class="response" id="mce-error-response" style="display:none; font-size:.5em;"></div> <div class="response" id="mce-success-response" style="display:none; font-size:.5em;"></div> </div>  <div style="position: absolute; left: -5000px;" aria-hidden="true"><input type="text" name="b_485445b23ed18ff0163e2d7a1_68e419fc0f" tabindex="-1" value=""></div> <div class="clear"><input type="submit" value="Submit" name="subscribe" id="mc-embedded-subscribe" class="btn btn--inverse-long"></div> </div> </form> </div> <script type='text/javascript' src='//s3.amazonaws.com/downloads.mailchimp.com/js/mc-validate.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>(function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[3]='MMERGE3';ftypes[3]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);</script> </div> </div>  <div class="page__footer-copyright"> <div class="box_one"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DictionaryofAfricanChristianBiography"> <img src="/assets/images/fb-full-white.png" class="facebook"/> </a></div> <div class="box_two"> Site redesigned by Alex Mayfield (2017 and 2019). 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Seyon, Patrick - Dictionary of African Christian Biography