Dora M. Bates

Dora M. Bates was the mother of Georgia Bates. Dora was known to be a caring, strong-willed lady, who reared her daughter in a loving, Christian home. Georgia often credited Dora as the reason why she experienced so much success in her life. Georgia was a longtime fixture on the Hill, serving for 27 years as a loyal member of the administrative faculty at Western Kentucky University. She began her work as a secretary in the president’s office in 1958. She was then assistant to the president from 1966 until 1969, when she joined the College Heights Foundation staff with Dr. Kelly Thompson. In 1973, she was elected executive secretary and treasurer of the foundation. In 1976, she was named to the foundation’s Board of Directors. She served as the secretary to the Board of Regents for 15 years from 1963 until 1977. She remained the Foundation treasurer part-time until 1983. In 1980, Bates-Runner Hall was partly named in her honor. She passed away in 1986 at the age of 70.

To further give back to the university and to pay tribute to her mother, Georgia established the Dora M. and Georgia Bates Scholarship Fund in 1977. and Georgia demonstrated her belief in the importance of education by establishing this scholarship fund in the College Heights Foundation. The fund assists deserving WKU freshmen. Through this fund, Dora and Georgia’s legacies carry on in perpetuity.