MikeTJumps 4 #1 July 1, 2007 It is with deep regret that I forward this information that Jim Bates who is well known in the Skydiving community for historical records of the sport has passed away after a prolonged battle with numerous medical problems. Marge Bates has many friends out there as well and she will need them more than ever now. Her e-mail is Margepara@hotmail.com Live long and prosper, Spirit of Jim Bates.Mike Turoff Instructor Examiner, USPA Co-author of Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #2 July 1, 2007 Jim was one the best para-historian out there. I always enjoyed the newsletters he did and he always had, if not the exact answer, than a good lead on any questions I had about skydiving history . . . I always made it a point to spend some time with him at PIA conventions just to soak up knowledge. NickD BASE 194 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #3 July 2, 2007 Jim Bates began skydiving in Orange, MA in the early sixties. He soon became an active and enthusiastic rigger, as well as a national judge. He was a founding member of Connecticut Parachutists Inc. (CPI) one of the country's oldest skydiving clubs. His interest in parachuting history is reflected in the hundreds of articles he wrote for a variety of publications, including Parachutist, the most recent of them in 2006 about Jacques-André Istel, and about the history of skydiving equipment. He was active in the Parachute Industry Association, both on its rigging committee and as the sparkplug of its historical committee. All of his interests as a skydiver, rigger and judge were shared by Marge, his wife of more than 40 years. i last saw them in action as a judging team at the Pat Gorham memorial meet at Jumptown in June, 2006. Arrangements are incomplete, but are expected to include an ash scattering ceremony at the CPI drop zone in Ellington, CT. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,588 #4 July 2, 2007 I met both him and Marge when I was up there in the 70's. Both very fine people. He'll be missed. Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #5 July 3, 2007 Services for Jim will be held Thursday in his home town of Windsor Locks, CT. Information and the on-line condolences book are at: http://leetestevens.com/ HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MakeItHappen 15 #6 July 4, 2007 QuoteServices for Jim will be held Thursday in his home town of Windsor Locks, CT. Information and the on-line condolences book are at: http://leetestevens.com/ HW I don't know where to start. When I read Mike's post on Sunday, I called Marge right away. I knew Jim was not doing well. This past Symposium was the first one where Jim and Marge weren't there. They were steadfast participants in the Symposiums and worked the press room, doors and other non-glamorous jobs more than anyone. A large part of the Symposium's success is because of Jim and Marge. Marge even found the Reno site - that worked out very well. I'm not really sure when I first met Jim, but it was probably sometime in the late 1980s. Jim and I corresponded a lot over the years, mostly about parachute history. (Go figure?) Sometimes he'd have a question for me, sometimes the other way around. Sometimes we could find an answer, sometimes not. From November 1991 to October 1993, Jim published "Parachutes - Yesterday/Today/Tomorrow" or PYTT for short. It was a newsprint type newsletter that was chock full of interesting history on parachutes and skydiving. We also traded stories about how to get advertisers - something neither of us did particularly well. We just liked to do the research and writing part, not the sales side. (I'm sure Nick can identify with that.) His articles in Atlantic Flyer were also great reading. Jim also sent me articles for my web site at no cost too. 90-Year-Old Arizona Woman Becomes Parachuting World Record-Holder Rayelene (or Raye) Wilson Koontz Marge also sent me this one. A couple of years ago, Jim and I got pissed off at Parachutist for the same reason. At the time I was sending out an electronic newsletter from ParachuteHistory.com. Jim reprinted some of the articles, with permission and full and proper accreditation in the CPI newsletter. Well, Parachutist took those stories and accredited the articles to Jim. Jim was pissed, I was pissed and Parachutist never printed a correction. Jim, I don't know how we can fill the parachute history void that your passing has created. You did most of the work. You were consistent about doing that work too. Maybe Howard, Dan and I can try to do what you did. But that's a tall order. We will miss you and your writings. .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
