1946
Stephen
2017
Stephen Frye Gates
May 20, 1946 — July 7, 2017
Stephen Frye Gates died peacefully at home on Wadmalaw Island on July 7, 2017. He was devoted to his wife, Laura Daignault Gates, whom he married on June 10, 1972.
Born on May 20, 1946 in Clearwater, Florida to Orris A. Gates Jr. and Olga Betty Frye Gates, he spent his school days in Clearwater and Dunedin after early years on various military bases while his father completed his Marine Corps career.
Steve graduated from Yale College in 1968. He went on to earn degrees from the Harvard Law School and the Harvard Business School in 1972. Awarded a Knox Fellowship from Harvard University in 1972, he and Laura spent the next academic year in London. Steve read at the School for Advanced Legal Studies and attended classes at the London School of Economics. The focus of his research was the consideration of how laws and regulation might be structured for truly global companies - those domiciled in one country, stock primarily owned and traded in another, with operations all over the world. He had a career as a lawyer, first in private practice and eventually as General Counsel at Amoco Corporation, FMC Corporation, and ConocoPhillips. His work at these companies and particularly at BP following the merger of Amoco, was reminiscent of his theoretical work so many years before as a Knox Fellow. Steve's most recent professional activities included work as Senior Counsel with Mayer Brown LLP and as a director of Methode Electronics, Inc. Steve was invariably deemed the "best boss I ever had" by the people he led. He was a gentleman, fair, and supportive… possessed of an extraordinary generosity of spirit and a keen intellect.
Steve was boundlessly curious. He had a great interest in history, which led him to collect maps and globes and to an ongoing love of libraries. He was a Director of the Newberry Library and a Friend of the Field Museum Library in Chicago. When he moved to Charleston he supported the Friends of the Library at the College of Charleston. Beginning in 2009, he led the renaissance at the Charleston Library Society, where he was President from 2010 to 2016. He most recently chaired the boards of Drayton Hall and the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. At Drayton Hall he negotiated the institution of joint-stewardship with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and led the conception and realization of the new visitor center to be dedicated next spring. He was a Director of the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and a Commander of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem.
His curiosity extended to his own family, and led to an exploration of his family history that lasted over 30 years, culminating in a book entitled Southern Planters completed in December 2016. This research provided the documentation required to support his membership in The Huguenot Society of South Carolina, The Sons of the American Revolution, and the General Society of the War of 1812. It also led to an award of Arms from the College of Arms in the United Kingdom. The motto Steve chose, Otium cum Dignitate (Leisure with Dignity), made many smile because it suited him so perfectly.
Steve spoke of his experience at Yale as defining. Yale provided him with a full scholarship and thereby a chance to achieve his potential. His friends participated in that education as they so often do at great residential institutions. And those same friends, first encountered in the fall of 1964, remained at the center of his life - like a guiding star - for the next 53 years. Always grateful for the generosity of Yale alumni who preceded him, Steve was a generous supporter of his alma mater. He honored the sacrificies of his parents by funding the renovation of the Silliman College Library in their names.
Steve is survived by his wife Laura D. Gates of Charleston, SC; his niece Eileen M. Gates (Rodney Harner) of Raleigh NC; his brother Bryan E. (Jean) Gates of San Marcos, California; his sister Margaret A. Gates of Dunedin, FL; a nephew Bryan E. (Kathy) Gates, Jr. of Winston-Salem, NC; a niece Jackie Gates of Raleigh, NC; and a nephew Christopher (Jennifer) Gates and their children Seth and Ella, of Dartmouth, MA; and a sister-in-law Linda D. (James) Howell of New Bern, NC. Finally, he leaves many friends and colleagues who will miss his counsel, goodwill, sense of humor and creativity.
Donations in celebration of Steve's life may be made to the Charleston Library Society building program and to the Drayton Hall Visitor Center project.
A memorial service will be planned for the fall.
Born on May 20, 1946 in Clearwater, Florida to Orris A. Gates Jr. and Olga Betty Frye Gates, he spent his school days in Clearwater and Dunedin after early years on various military bases while his father completed his Marine Corps career.
Steve graduated from Yale College in 1968. He went on to earn degrees from the Harvard Law School and the Harvard Business School in 1972. Awarded a Knox Fellowship from Harvard University in 1972, he and Laura spent the next academic year in London. Steve read at the School for Advanced Legal Studies and attended classes at the London School of Economics. The focus of his research was the consideration of how laws and regulation might be structured for truly global companies - those domiciled in one country, stock primarily owned and traded in another, with operations all over the world. He had a career as a lawyer, first in private practice and eventually as General Counsel at Amoco Corporation, FMC Corporation, and ConocoPhillips. His work at these companies and particularly at BP following the merger of Amoco, was reminiscent of his theoretical work so many years before as a Knox Fellow. Steve's most recent professional activities included work as Senior Counsel with Mayer Brown LLP and as a director of Methode Electronics, Inc. Steve was invariably deemed the "best boss I ever had" by the people he led. He was a gentleman, fair, and supportive… possessed of an extraordinary generosity of spirit and a keen intellect.
Steve was boundlessly curious. He had a great interest in history, which led him to collect maps and globes and to an ongoing love of libraries. He was a Director of the Newberry Library and a Friend of the Field Museum Library in Chicago. When he moved to Charleston he supported the Friends of the Library at the College of Charleston. Beginning in 2009, he led the renaissance at the Charleston Library Society, where he was President from 2010 to 2016. He most recently chaired the boards of Drayton Hall and the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. At Drayton Hall he negotiated the institution of joint-stewardship with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and led the conception and realization of the new visitor center to be dedicated next spring. He was a Director of the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and a Commander of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem.
His curiosity extended to his own family, and led to an exploration of his family history that lasted over 30 years, culminating in a book entitled Southern Planters completed in December 2016. This research provided the documentation required to support his membership in The Huguenot Society of South Carolina, The Sons of the American Revolution, and the General Society of the War of 1812. It also led to an award of Arms from the College of Arms in the United Kingdom. The motto Steve chose, Otium cum Dignitate (Leisure with Dignity), made many smile because it suited him so perfectly.
Steve spoke of his experience at Yale as defining. Yale provided him with a full scholarship and thereby a chance to achieve his potential. His friends participated in that education as they so often do at great residential institutions. And those same friends, first encountered in the fall of 1964, remained at the center of his life - like a guiding star - for the next 53 years. Always grateful for the generosity of Yale alumni who preceded him, Steve was a generous supporter of his alma mater. He honored the sacrificies of his parents by funding the renovation of the Silliman College Library in their names.
Steve is survived by his wife Laura D. Gates of Charleston, SC; his niece Eileen M. Gates (Rodney Harner) of Raleigh NC; his brother Bryan E. (Jean) Gates of San Marcos, California; his sister Margaret A. Gates of Dunedin, FL; a nephew Bryan E. (Kathy) Gates, Jr. of Winston-Salem, NC; a niece Jackie Gates of Raleigh, NC; and a nephew Christopher (Jennifer) Gates and their children Seth and Ella, of Dartmouth, MA; and a sister-in-law Linda D. (James) Howell of New Bern, NC. Finally, he leaves many friends and colleagues who will miss his counsel, goodwill, sense of humor and creativity.
Donations in celebration of Steve's life may be made to the Charleston Library Society building program and to the Drayton Hall Visitor Center project.
A memorial service will be planned for the fall.
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