Paul C. Yates, Jr.

Born: 6/22/1922
Died: 10/14/2011

Paul C. Yates, Jr., Ph.D., age 89, of Wilmington, DE, passed away on Friday, October 14, 2011, at Wilmington Hospital.
Paul was born June 22, 1922 in Houston, TX, to Paul and Freda Yates. His father was a newspaper columnist and editor, author, publisher and assistant to the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Paul attended the University of Texas, but left in 1942 to join the Army Air Corps. He served as a navigator on the B-29 “Snoopin’ Kid” with the 20th AAF, 1st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron in the African, Indian, Chinese and Pacific theaters. His crew flew numerous combat missions against Japan and survived a forced landing in hostile territory on the Chinese mainland. One of his last missions involved photographing the aftermath of the nuclear strike on Nagasaki. His service left him with an enduring hatred of war and respect for the Chinese people.
Paul returned to college to complete his B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Texas, then went on to earn his Master’s and Ph.D. in Chemistry at Tulane University. In New Orleans, he met and married Betty Darling. They had five children: Sharon, Michael, Linda, Christy, and Gabrielle.
He joined the DuPont Company in 1953 and worked at the Experimental Station in Wilmington. He became one of the company’s most prolific researchers, authoring 63 scientific patents and 21 articles. He retired as a Senior Research Fellow in 1986.
Paul Yates was a man of many parts. He was active in the Republican Party and served as President of the Committee of 39, a bi-partisan citizens group for better government. He was a member of the ACLU and an advisor to Pete DuPont and Joe Biden. He was a father, an artist, a poet, and a gentleman.
His first wife, Betty, and his daughters, Sharon and Linda, preceded Paul in death. His wife, Helen (Tang), children, Michael, Christy, and Gabrielle, and stepchildren, Elizabeth, Stephen, and David, survive him.
Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 am on Saturday, October 22, 2011, at the Church of the Holy Child, 2500 Naamans Road, Wilmington, to be followed by a reception at the church. A committal service will be held at 10 am on Monday, October 24, 2011, at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116-7023.