General | 6/3/2021 11:17:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY -- Bruce B. Bates, RIT Trustee Emeritus, passed away May 28, 2021. He was 89. In 2015 Mr. Bates provided the gift to help create the Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach endowment, which was the first endowed coaching position at the university.

Mr. Bates was a member of the Board of Trustees beginning in 1970, serving as chairman from 1984 to 1987, and was the first recipient of RIT's inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award.

For more than 50 years, Mr. Bates worked with seven RIT presidents behind the scenes. He witnessed RIT move a campus from downtown to Henrietta. He made strategic decisions that have helped propel RIT to the global university it is today.
 
In September, Mr. Bates was awarded RIT's inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award. "This lifetime achievement award is intended to be offered to people who have demonstrated the pinnacle of achievement in terms of service to the institution, and I can't think of a better person to be the first recipient," said RIT President David Munson in the fall. "Bruce quietly went about making a difference in innumerable people's lives because he believed it was the right thing to do."
 
Mr. Bates played freshmen hockey at Yale University, and was a season ticket holder for both men's and women's hockey teams. He is a life member of RIT's National Rochester Society and recipient of the prestigious NRS Award.
 
Mr. Bates retired as Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley, and provided commitments of more than $3.6 million lifetime for The Bates Scholarship Endowment supporting merit scholarships and a Bates NRS Scholarship. The Bruce & Nancy Bates Science Study Center located in Gosnell Hall, which provides free tutoring services. The Gene Polisseni Center men's locker suite. RIT's general endowment, and Sentinel sculpture, by Albert Paley.
 
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be designated to the "Bates Scholarship Endowment" and sent to: Rochester Institute of Technology University Advancement, P.O. Box 92765, Rochester, NY 14692-8865. To share a memory of Mr. Bates or send a condolence to the family visit www.anthonychapels.com.