[Air-L] RIP Ben Bates

[Jones, Steve]

This is very sad news. Jeremy, I completely agree with your words about Ben. It has taken me a bit of time to process his passing. It’s hard to believe I won’t see him again.

I think one of the reasons we lose words in the English language, and perhaps in other languages, too, may be that we lose people who embody them and so we use them less and less often. It is rare to hear someone described as “gregarious” any more, but for me that was Ben. Affable, too. He was not only one of the first to step up and volunteer his time to AoIR in 1999, he was also one of the first to spread word of it at other conferences that he went to, such as AEJMC (the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication). I specifically remember him going to that organization’s meeting in New Orleans and talking to people about AoIR. He handled the finances and membership in the early days, which, as I’m sure Jeremy, Nancy, Ulla and others remember from that time, had to be built from scratch. And it was pre-PayPal and other handy online payment systems; that came a few years later. He was a careful steward not only of AoIR but also of his friendships. I’ll never forget him telling me about Cecil Sagehen, the Pomona College mascot, and that school’s fight song…. We’ll miss you, Ben. Rest in peace. I’m grateful to have known you and worked with you.

Steve

> On Nov 4, 2018, at 1:40 PM, Jeremy Hunsinger <jhuns at vt.edu> wrote:
> 
> RIP Benjamin J. Bates, Ben was a member of the early AoIR executive as
> treasurer .  He was great colleague and solid friend of the
> organization, embodying the spirit of mentorship, collegiality, and
> goodwill that makes AoIR so awesome.  Ben will be missed.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.j.bates  has more information.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jeremy Hunsinger
> Associate Professor
> Communication Studies
> Wilfrid Laurier University
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