SJ258: Celebrating the life of Fred Parkis Yates, Jr.
WHEREAS, Fred Parkis Yates, Jr., of Staunton, an educator and advocate for the deaf community, died on August 7, 2007; and
WHEREAS, when he was nine years old, Fred Yates contracted spinal meningitis, which claimed his hearing; at age 10 he left his family’s farm and his seven siblings to attend the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind (VSDB) in Staunton; and
WHEREAS, Fred Yates graduated from VSDB in 1936 and attended Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C., where he earned a bachelor’s degree and met his beloved wife, Anna Belle McClung, whom he married in June 1951; and
WHEREAS, Fred Yates began his teaching career at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind but soon found his way back to his alma mater, VSDB, where he taught for many years; and
WHEREAS, Fred Yates pursued graduate studies, and after earning a second master’s degree in school administration in 1967, he became assistant principal at VSDB; and
WHEREAS, in the 1970s, Fred Yates began working with other advocates for the deaf to establish a council or commission for the deaf in Virginia, and in 1972 the General Assembly created the Virginia Council for the Deaf, now known as the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, of which Fred Yates was named the first director; and
WHEREAS, in 1981, Fred Yates stepped down as director of the Virginia Council for the Deaf and became the first deaf person to be named principal at VSDB, a position he held until his retirement in 1986; and
WHEREAS, a wonderful and thoughtful communicator who spent his life giving encouragement and guidance to others, Fred Yates was a man of great wisdom, determination, and generosity; and
WHEREAS, Fred Yates will be fondly remembered and sorely missed by his wife, Anna Belle; his children, Ralph, April, and Jo Belle, and their spouses; his two surviving brothers, Henry and James; his three surviving sisters, Madge, Clare, and Josephine; his eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and countless other family members and dear friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Fred Parkis Yates, Jr., an exceptional educator and advocate for the deaf and a fine Virginian; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Fred Parkis Yates, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.