George Edward Bates, Jr.
George Edward Bates died Wednesday, April 2, 2025 in Bethesda, Maryland, near his home in Kensington, at the age of eighty-five.
George was born in Omaha on June 6, 1939, the second of George and Audrey (Potts) Bates’s two children. He grew up in St. Paul and other Nebraska towns, graduating from high school in Geneva, then earning a bachelor of arts degree in history at the University of Nebraska.
He was an officer in the United States Navy, attaining the rank of lieutenant. While aboard USS Raleigh (LPD-1) in 1965, Lt. Bates assisted in coordinating US Marine landings and evacuating civilians during the Dominican Civil War.
George continued his education at the University of Michigan, earning his master of arts degree in history, and then at the University of Illinois, where he was awarded a doctorate in that field.
In 1970, Dr. Bates was appointed Professor of History at Winona State College (now University) in Minnesota and taught there for fourteen years, also serving as Director of the Minnesota Historical Society’s Southeast Minnesota Historical Center for much of that time. His career with the state university system continued in its Academic Affairs Office in St.
Paul. Later, Dr. Bates became Dean of the College at Plymouth State College (now University) of New Hampshire, and then moved to Central Michigan University as Associate Director for Academic Affairs in its Extended Degree Program. Dr.
Bates established Bates & Associates, Inc., located in Evanston, Illinois and Germantown, Maryland, providing management consulting services to non-profit organizations.
He retired to Great Falls, Montana in 2002, close to family who ranch in the Harlem area.
George married Lois Wagner Pore in 1963.
They had two sons, George Edward, III (b. 1964) and Thomas Wagner (b. 1968). Their marriage, and one later to Mary Helen Layton, ended in divorce. Phyllis Kane Williams was his best friend and companion for the last twenty years of George’s life.
Dr. Bates was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Barbara Pritchard; and cousin, Venus (Potts) Bardanouve. He is survived by his son, George and wife Mariko (Sakai) Bates of Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan and son, Tom and wife Emiko “Emi” Bolton and their daughters, Abigail and Lillian, of Phoenix, Arizona, as well as cousin Elizabeth (Cecil) Kuntz, her children Bret, Kyle and Hilary, and grandchildren Aislinn and Aubree in Harlem, Montana.
Extended family include Theodore “TC” Williams [Col. USA (ret.)], his partner Jeannette Andrews, TC’s children Cort and Katie, and John Kent and Jennifer (Barnes) Williams and their children Jack and Quinn, all of Kensington, Maryland, as well as Jean (Williams) Ulmer [Lt. Col. USA (ret.)] and Walter F. Ulmer, Jr. [Lt. Col. USA (ret.)] of Springfield, VA and their children Adrian, Maria, and Lexi.
At Dr. Bates’ direction his remains were cremated and his ashes have been scattered. Close friends and family gathered on Easter Sunday 2025 at Phyllis’ and his home to remember him fondly. A second family gathering on the Potts side took place in September 2026 at Harlem to keep his memory close.