In Memoriam – Patrick J. Bresnan Sr.

In Memoriam Partrick J. Bresnan Sr. March 16, 1937-November 5, 2024.

Patrick J. Bresnan was born in Mankato, Minnesota, on March 16, 1937, and died November 5, 2024. He was the younger brother of William Bresnan and the two of them worked together for many years in the cable television industry and Bresnan Communications. Patrick graduated from Loyola High School in Mankato in 1955 and attended classes at Mankato State College. He served in the U.S. Army for two years in Germany as an infantryman and radio repairman. He was in the newspaper advertising business before his cable career.

Bresnan started in the cable industry in 1965 as advertising manager for Jack Kent Cooke’s American Cablevision Company in Los Angeles. He then managed systems for H&B American in Keene, NH, and Ironwood, MI, and in 1969 became district manager of the Michigan upper peninsula. H&B American merged with TelePrompTer and Bresnan moved to the Duluth cable system in 1971, and in 1973 became manager of TelePrompTer’s Great Lakes District. Later he managed the El Paso, TX system and served as District Manager for TelePrompTer’s Rocky Mountain District.

Bresnan Communications was launched in 1984 and in 1986 Patrick Bresnan was District Manager for Bresnan Communications’ Great Lakes District. He joined the headquarters management group in 1988. Bresnan was Vice President of Marketing for Bresnan Communications for many years. In 1998 he became Senior Vice President of Community Development. The original Bresnan Communications was sold to Paul Allen’s Charter Communications in 2000, but it was reborn in 2003 when William Bresnan bought several systems in the Rocky Mountain region serving 309,000 subscribers. Patrick continued to work in the industry at least through 2009.

Bresnan was inducted into the Cable Television Pioneers in 1987. He was active in regional and national cable associations his entire career. Bresnan established the Ann Bresnan Memorial Scholarship in honor of his mother at Loyola Catholic High School in Mankato in 2012, and made a further donation of $500,000 to the same institution in 2018.

Patrick J. Bresnan Obituary: San Diego Union-Tribune

Unidentified, Bill Patrick, and Bresnan at the Cable Pioneers Dinner 1994

Unidentified, Bill and Patrick Bresnan at the Cable Pioneers Dinner 1994

Bill Loughrey, Patrick Bresnan, and Daniel Mezzalingua 1994

Bill Loughrey, Patrick Bresnan and Daniel Mezzalingua 1994

Patrick and Bill Bresnan, Cable Pioneers Dinner 1996

Patrick and Bill Bresnan, Cable Pioneers Dinner 1996

Patrick Bresnan and John Wade, NCTA Cable Show 2000

Patrick Bresnan and John Wade, NCTA Cable Show 2000

Maureen Bresnan-Sunko, Pat Bresna,n Heather Stul, and Rick Michaels 2000

Maureen Bresnan-Sunko, Pat Bresnan, Heather Stul and Rick Michaels 2000

Brothers in Arms Pat and Bill Bresnan MCN February 20, 2006

Brothers in Arms – Pat and Bill Bresnan MCN February 20, 2006

nan outside Duluth MN headend 1973

Patrick Bresnan outside Duluth MN headend 1973

Patrick Bresnan and Keith Carson TelePrompTer Duluth 1973

Patrick Bresnan and Keith Carson TelePrompTer Duluth 1973

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