1941
Russell
2018
Russell Louis Bates
June 6, 1941 — April 9, 2018
Russell Bates
Russell Louis Bates of Anadarko passed away Monday, April 9, 2018 at the Comanche County Memorial Hospital following a brief illness.
Russell was born on June 6, 1941 at the Kiowa Indian Hospital in Lawton, OK to John and Agatha (Paddlety) Bates. He attended school in Hawthorne, Cali and Anadarko. He graduated from Anadarko High School in 1959. At different times in his life, he furthered his education at the University of Kansas, Bacone College, the University of Oklahoma, Tulane University, the University of Miami and Oxford University.
He was a proud member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and on his paternal grandfather's side descended from the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes of Oklahoma. In his spare time, he relaxed by fishing, hunting for treasures with his metal detector and adding to his extensive movie collection. He was an avid photographer throughout his life.
Russell was drafted in 1964 and entered the United States Air Force on May 5, 1964 in Oklahoma City, OK. Staff Sgt. Bates was stationed at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL. and was part of the 4756 Munitions Maintenance Squadron. He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon and the Good Conduct Medal. He was honorably discharged from service on June 4, 1968.
After leaving the service, he worked for a time at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles. While in LA, he attended Open Door classes for television writing at the Writers Guild of America. There he met writers Gene Roddenberry, D.C. Fontana and Gene L. Coon who were influential in his 12 year screenwriting career. He started out with his mentor, Gene L. Coon on Universal Studios' The Name of the Game. He produced work for television series including The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The 6th Sense, M*A*S*H, All in the Family, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and the original Battlestar Galactica.
With David Wise, he wrote the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "How Sharper than A Serpent's Tooth". In 1975, the episode was the basis for the Star Trek franchise's first and only major Emmy Award win for Outstanding Entertainment Children's Series. The episode also won a Peabody Award. He wrote the pilot episode for the 1970s children's series Filmation Studio's The Secret of Isis called "The Lights of Mystery Mountain".
He performed as an actor in seven motion pictures including his acting debut 1981's Freddie of the Jungle and as Mike Jumper in Porky's II: The Next Day. He was the subject of the Oklahoma City PBS affiliate OETA's Gallery program in 2011 and an episode of the YouTube channel series, Trekspertise.
In his writing career, he had 36 short stories published, three teleplays published, 15 teleplays sold and six produced and 24 articles published nationally and internationally. In 2015, the University of Central Oklahoma hosted A Passport to Native Oklahoma "An Evening with Kiowa Writer Russell Bates" at the Paramount Theater in downtown Oklahoma City. In January 2017, he was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival.
He was a member of the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society, the Screen Actors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America.
Russell was preceded in death by his parents, John and Agatha; his paternal grandparents, Ralph Cleveland Bates and Lizzie Asah Hopkins; his maternal grandparents, David Paddlety and Magdalene Keintaddle Paddlety; two sisters, Delores Paddlety and Joan Bates Torralba; one brother, David Bates; one niece, Suzanna Torralba; one nephew, Terry Dale Torralba; and one grandson, Devin Torralba.
He is survived by his two cats, Sasha and Lxwana, of the home; sister, Arlene Bates Caesar and her husband, Bruce of Anadarko; brother, Timothy Bates; uncle, Trilby Dan Hopkins, of Oregon; brother-in-law, Richard Torralba of Washington; nephews, Adam Caesar of Anadarko and Trevor (and Kortni) Torralba of Norman, OK; nieces, Maya Torralba, Krystal Caesar, and Amy Caesar, all of Anadarko; grandnieces and nephews, Chadoqi Daffron, Matthias Daffron, Kateri Daffron, Setde Torralba, Tedan Torralba and Frankie Daffron and a host of many friends and extended family members.
Graveside services with military rites will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 18 at the Fort Sill National Cemetery.
"Time and life may still a writer's hand, but not his voice." -Russell Bates
Russell Louis Bates of Anadarko passed away Monday, April 9, 2018 at the Comanche County Memorial Hospital following a brief illness.
Russell was born on June 6, 1941 at the Kiowa Indian Hospital in Lawton, OK to John and Agatha (Paddlety) Bates. He attended school in Hawthorne, Cali and Anadarko. He graduated from Anadarko High School in 1959. At different times in his life, he furthered his education at the University of Kansas, Bacone College, the University of Oklahoma, Tulane University, the University of Miami and Oxford University.
He was a proud member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and on his paternal grandfather's side descended from the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes of Oklahoma. In his spare time, he relaxed by fishing, hunting for treasures with his metal detector and adding to his extensive movie collection. He was an avid photographer throughout his life.
Russell was drafted in 1964 and entered the United States Air Force on May 5, 1964 in Oklahoma City, OK. Staff Sgt. Bates was stationed at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, FL. and was part of the 4756 Munitions Maintenance Squadron. He received the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon and the Good Conduct Medal. He was honorably discharged from service on June 4, 1968.
After leaving the service, he worked for a time at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles. While in LA, he attended Open Door classes for television writing at the Writers Guild of America. There he met writers Gene Roddenberry, D.C. Fontana and Gene L. Coon who were influential in his 12 year screenwriting career. He started out with his mentor, Gene L. Coon on Universal Studios' The Name of the Game. He produced work for television series including The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The 6th Sense, M*A*S*H, All in the Family, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and the original Battlestar Galactica.
With David Wise, he wrote the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "How Sharper than A Serpent's Tooth". In 1975, the episode was the basis for the Star Trek franchise's first and only major Emmy Award win for Outstanding Entertainment Children's Series. The episode also won a Peabody Award. He wrote the pilot episode for the 1970s children's series Filmation Studio's The Secret of Isis called "The Lights of Mystery Mountain".
He performed as an actor in seven motion pictures including his acting debut 1981's Freddie of the Jungle and as Mike Jumper in Porky's II: The Next Day. He was the subject of the Oklahoma City PBS affiliate OETA's Gallery program in 2011 and an episode of the YouTube channel series, Trekspertise.
In his writing career, he had 36 short stories published, three teleplays published, 15 teleplays sold and six produced and 24 articles published nationally and internationally. In 2015, the University of Central Oklahoma hosted A Passport to Native Oklahoma "An Evening with Kiowa Writer Russell Bates" at the Paramount Theater in downtown Oklahoma City. In January 2017, he was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival.
He was a member of the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society, the Screen Actors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America.
Russell was preceded in death by his parents, John and Agatha; his paternal grandparents, Ralph Cleveland Bates and Lizzie Asah Hopkins; his maternal grandparents, David Paddlety and Magdalene Keintaddle Paddlety; two sisters, Delores Paddlety and Joan Bates Torralba; one brother, David Bates; one niece, Suzanna Torralba; one nephew, Terry Dale Torralba; and one grandson, Devin Torralba.
He is survived by his two cats, Sasha and Lxwana, of the home; sister, Arlene Bates Caesar and her husband, Bruce of Anadarko; brother, Timothy Bates; uncle, Trilby Dan Hopkins, of Oregon; brother-in-law, Richard Torralba of Washington; nephews, Adam Caesar of Anadarko and Trevor (and Kortni) Torralba of Norman, OK; nieces, Maya Torralba, Krystal Caesar, and Amy Caesar, all of Anadarko; grandnieces and nephews, Chadoqi Daffron, Matthias Daffron, Kateri Daffron, Setde Torralba, Tedan Torralba and Frankie Daffron and a host of many friends and extended family members.
Graveside services with military rites will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 18 at the Fort Sill National Cemetery.
"Time and life may still a writer's hand, but not his voice." -Russell Bates
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