3 – Family Cubs Support the Lioness
Spouse – Dr. James Franklin Oates III, Griffin of the Lioness
Source: Princeton Alumni Weekly, October 19, 2005
James Franklin Oates III ’51
Jim died of prostate cancer on April 19, 2005, in Richmond, Va. He was the son of James F. Oates ’21.
A graduate of Phillips Exeter, he was a biology major at Princeton and a member of the Pre-Med Society and Tower Club. He graduated in 1955 from Cornell University Medical School and interned in the Department of Surgery at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Brookline, Mass.
Jim was in the Army Medical Corps from 1957 to 1959 at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In 1960 he started his residency at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and later began a general surgery practice there until 1988 when he retired. He was a sole practitioner for many of those years; during that time he performed 7,700 major surgical procedures without being sued, which he felt was largely a result of having talked regularly and often with his patients. This resulted from four years ago in the funding and promoting of a course in communicative skills at Cornell Medical School.
Jim married Joan Olmsted in 1953. She survives him together with their four children, Chris, David, Katie, and Tony, and nine grandchildren.
Son – Dr. David Franklin Oates & Spouse Mary Yorke
Source: Modern Psychology, University Psychological Associates
David F. Oates, Ph.D. specializes in the assessment and treatment of ADHD and specific learning disorders in adolescents and adults.
He has more than twenty years of experience, primarily with adolescents as young as twelve but also with adults, in the assessment and development of educational strategies and academic accommodations to foster academic success in high school and beyond.
Prior to becoming a NC licensed psychologist in 1997, he taught chemistry and biology at Charlotte Latin School for seven years. It was during his relatively brief teaching career that he became interested in counseling and subsequently entered graduate school.
He returned to Charlotte in 1995 and became employed as a Staff Psychologist with Pathways MH in Lincolnton, NC where he developed skills in the treatment of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and interpersonal relationship problems through individual and couples psychotherapy. His repertoire of clinical skills includes interventions developed from founding pioneers in CBT, interpersonal therapy, and schema therapy as well as more specific behavioral interventions designed to help his clients develop more adaptive coping behaviors. Currently, he splits his time between University Psychological Associates and The Oates Group, PLLC.
Dr. Oates earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Auburn University in 1995. Prior to graduating from Auburn, Dr. Oates completed a Master of Education degree specializing in Secondary School Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1989.
Mary Yorke Oates ’83, Director of Admissions
Charlotte Latin School
CHARLOTTE LATIN SCHOOLS
9502 PROVIDENCE ROAD, CHARLOTTE, NC 282778695
In her role as Latin’s Director of Admissions, Mary Yorke Robison Oates holds Latin’s commitment to child development and readiness to heart. Through the ongoing study of cognitive, social, physical, and emotional milestones of the young child, Mary Yorke and her team of Kindergarten experts work diligently to assess a child’s readiness to begin school. With an equal emphasis on normed assessment results, current pre-school success, and a vetted readiness snapshot, the team is committed to capturing a full, balanced picture of every young applicant. And while there is no one “ideal” portrait of a Kindergarten student, there are many predictors of success that can be captured through a play-based, science-backed, best-practice method.
Mary Yorke is a Charlotte Latin alumna from the class of 1983. She went on to her undergraduate work at Sweet Briar College (English and Creative Writing) and Auburn University for her Master’s in English. In addition to being a Latin grad, she has served countless roles on this campus. She has taught English, substituted, coached field hockey, volunteered, served as Parents’ Council president, and parented three Latin lifers (Harris, John, and Annabelle) with her husband David.
Mary Yorke is a member of Independent School Management’s faculty and teaches summer and fall workshops for new Admissions Directors. She is certified at the leadership level by ISM’s International Advancement Certification program.
Her hobbies include reading, fishing, travel, walking, fitness, art and antiques, and cheering for the Carolina Panthers.
Source: School Leadership, Welcome to Charlotte Latin School
Source: Charlotte Smarty Pants Podcasts with Mary Yorke Oates
Daughter – Katherine “Katie” Oates & Spouse William “Wild Bill” Nixon
Katie Oates is the daughter of Joan Olmsted Oates. Katie also is the author of Expectations For Women in Science. As an admission associate of The Loomis Chaffee School, Katie provides students with an education “in which excellence in teaching and learning is shaped by the why, as much the what, and every member of the community shares a commitment to the best self and the common good.”
Katie’s late husband William Nixon was dubbed by his students as “Wild Bill,” according to his obituary in the Hartford Courant in 2020. Recognized for his zany antics, Bill’s energy and enthusiasm heightened the curiosity of his students. Instead of listening to long lectures, Bill always had his students out of their seats, performing experiments.
Awards followed. Twice, his students placed in the Toshiba National ExploraVision Contest. One student discovered scientific errors in the World Book Encyclopedia, triggering reprint corrections.
Wild Bill himself was awarded first prize in the educational division of the Entomological Society of America. The Chemical Education Foundation awarded him first place in the Scientific Inquiry category.
The son and grandson of Baptist ministers, Bill served his country in the Vietnam era as a conscientious objector, much like another relative of Jesse James, the famed boxer Muhammad Ali. Choosing to educate and teach as his wartime commitment above killing in war, Bill’s teaching career progressed from Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan to nearly thirty years of teaching in New England boarding schools.
Source: Expectations for Women in Science
Source: Obituary William Alexnader Nixon
Son – George Anthony “Tony” Oates
Tony Oates is a son of Joan Olmsted Oates. Tony also is a graduate of the Richmond School of Ballet in Virginia. He made his dancing debut in “A Midsummer Nights Dream,” at the age of nine! Since 2018, Tony dances now with the main company of the Richmond Ballet.
In addition to dancing full time, Tony Oates is enrolled at SCD – The University for Creative Careers in Graphic Design.
Source: Classics at Richmond Ballet
Son – James Christopher “Chris” Oates, Esq.
Chris Oates is Joan’s eldest child. By profession, Chris is an attorney. While his interests do not directly reflect the artistic interests of his parents or siblings, Chris has contributed in no small measure to their creative interests by providing the legal infrastructure to make them viable. Hints of his contributions can be found in his professional biography, published by his law firm of Moore & VanAllen.
Source: Moore & VanAllen, J. Christopher “Chris” Oates
“Chris Oates brings considerable experience to his clients and concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial real estate and land use law. He is a co-leader of the firm’s commercial real estate group.
“He is routinely involved in the acquisition, development, financing, and leasing of urban and suburban office complexes, mixed-use developments, hotels, and retail shopping center facilities.
“He has represented municipal interests and private developers in public/private joint ventures, economic incentive agreements, and other collaborations.
“He has also been involved with the negotiation of lease agreements, restrictive covenants, and operating and reciprocal easement agreements for developer, lender, and tenant clients.
“He has assisted developers with zoning issues and obtaining variances before municipal boards.
“He has written and lectured on commercial real estate leasing issues, especially the negotiation of retail leases.”