Mary Jane Gates

MARY JANE GATES, age 94, of Little Rock died on July 3, 2010. She was born in Ottawa, Ill. on April 20, 1916 to the late Charles H. and Ada Hendel Kingman. She was predeceased by her older brother, John Kingman, and her older sister, Charlotte Keiter. After graduating from Dana Hall in Wellesley, Mass., she attended Vassar College on scholarship where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1937. Mary Jane earned her Masters Degree in Mathematics from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. Mary Jane married James Barkman Gates of Little Rock on March 27, 1939. Later in life she earned her PhD in Mathematics Education at Florida State University on a National Science Foundation Fellowship. Mary Jane was a mathematics professor at UALR for 21 years, and was named the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" for the 1981-82 school year. She was a member of the Commission on the Status of Women, which was instrumental in the equalization of pay for professional women at the University. She retired as Professor Emeritus from UALR. Mary Jane was a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral where she was active in many women's groups. She served as Principal of Trinity Interim Academy, a provisional high school organized by Trinity Cathedral during the 1958-59 school crisis. She was active in the Women's Emergency Committee as well as the STOP campaign during the same period. Mary Jane was a member of the Little Rock Junior League, The Book Club, the American Association of University Women, and the Vassar Club of Arkansas. Mary Jane is survived by her daughter, Anne Gates Lorance and husband Paul of Orange Beach, Ala.; son, David Allan Gates and wife Karen Kinsley Gates of Little Rock; grandchildren, Cynthia Mason of Houston, Texas; Howard Mason of Hunstville, Ala.; Kathleen Mason of Houston, Texas; Lorraine Gates Schuyler and husband Charles Ridgeway Schuyler of Charlottesville, Va.; and Elizabeth Gates Spontak and husband Gregory Stephen Spontak of Little Rock; great-grandchildren, Ben and Grayson Scheiner of Houston, Texas; and Charles and Sam Schuyler of Charlottesville, Va. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at Trinity Cathedral at 11 a.m.. Burial of ashes will follow in the Treadway Garden. A reception will follow immediately thereafter in Morrison Hall. In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to The Cathedral School, 1616 South Spring Street, Little Rock, Ark. 72206, or to the charity of your choice. Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.