Retired Brady Junior High school teacher, family man and history buff James Otis Bates, age 87, of Brady, Texas, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, after a lingering illness in Brady. He was born Dec. 29, 1927, in LaPryor, to John James Bates and Emily (Herring) Bates. He graduated from Gatesville High School. While in high school, friends often paid his way to movie comedies, just so they could hear him laugh. So captured were they by his laughter that they continued paying the movie admission when James and Mary began dating, just to hear him laugh. James was the youngest of four children. His older sister Opal, helped their mother care for him as she was 11 years older. They remained exceptionally close, until her death in 2000. He was in the U.S. Army and served two years in Japan. He attended North Texas State College but temporarily dropped out after his mother became ill, so he could return home to care for her. Later, a friend offered James a job at the Brady Aviation Corporation where he worked for 8 years, after marrying his high school sweetheart, Mary Ruth Franks on June 13, 1952 in Gatesville. James later commuted to Howard Payne University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree/ teaching certificate in 1962. Two years later, he received his master’s degree from Sul Ross State College. James and Mary established their adult lives in Brady, where he taught hundreds of Brady children during his 25 year teaching career at Brady Junior High School. James remained active in the education arena through his active teaching years serving as local president of the Texas Classroom Teachers Association and in the Texas State Teachers Association. He stayed busy during the summers while teaching, measuring crops while working for the ASCS office or monitoring traffic across the state for the Texas Highway Department. He was a Boy Scouts leader and active member of the Brady Lions Club for many years, serving on the board of directors and honored as the “Lion of the Year.” After retiring from teaching, James became a Fuller Brush representative and kept an inventory of popular items for some of his customers, even after retiring from the Fuller Brush Company. He was also a member of the staff at Leatherwood Memorial Chapels, assisting with funerals. James enjoyed his beautiful pecan trees that shaded the house in the summer and provided plenty of pecans for him to collect and shell and then cut them in a special way for Mary’s pecan pie. He also gathered and shelled pecans for family and neighbors. For him, it was a joy, not a job. When former students ran into James at various Brady restaurants or stores, talk invariably shifted to memories of their school days. Many would reflect on how Mr. Bates taught them to catch flies. They would say: “This is the man who taught us how to catch flies.” Those memories would trigger hearty laughter… and additional stories. Many would insist on buying lunch for Mr. Bates and his wife as they continued reminiscing. James’ love for travel earned him the “Jim Go Bates” nickname. During family trips, son, Jimmy and daughter, Karen tried to distract their dad when they saw “museum” signs as they knew he would always stop for a museum tour. Museum trips enriched his love of history.

Published in Brady Standard – Herald November 25, 2015
Contributor: Jacqueline Hill (47941945) added 17 Jun 2020 dj