OATES, William Armstrong Sr. Of Westwood, Mass., died peacefully at home on January 10, 2015. He was 98 years old.
For 40 years, from 1942 to 1982, Mr. Oates served on the faculty of St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., first as a teacher of history and mathematics, progressing to posts as registrar, director of admissions, and vice rector. In 1970, Mr. Oates was appointed the School's Eighth Rector, serving in that role as head of school until his retirement. As Rector, Mr. Oates oversaw an aggressive fundraising campaign to increase the School's endowment and construct buildings dedicated to the arts. The performing arts center, built in 1980 and including buildings for music and dance, was named in his honor. During his time at St. Paul's, Mr. Oates also presided over the School's 1971 transition to coeducation, worked to modernize the curriculum, and promoted the use of computer technology in the classroom. Longtime friend and fellow St. Paul's trustee Amory Houghton Jr. called him "simply the best headmaster in the business." On his retirement, he was named a George Cheyne Shattuck Fellow for exemplary service to St. Paul's. Mr. Oates was born on September 22, 1916, in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the son of William M. Oates and Idah Armstrong Oates. He graduated from Central High School in Aberdeen and from Harvard College in 1938. He also earned a master's, a certificate of advanced study, and a doctorate in education from Harvard. During his four decades in New Hampshire, Mr. Oates was active in the community, serving on numerous boards, including those of New Hampshire Public Television, Concord Hospital, and Bank of New Hampshire. In 1968, New Hampshire Governor John King appointed him to the Legislative Education Study Commission. Mr. Oates also was appointed by the governor as chairman of the state's Citizens' Task Force Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education. He served many regional and national educational associations, including the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Educational Testing Service, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. After retirement from St. Paul's School in 1982, Mr. Oates moved to Kennebunkport, Maine, and continued his involvement in public service. He was a member of Harvard's Board of Overseers, chaired his class committee for the Harvard College Fund, and served on the Dean's Leadership Council at Harvard School of Public Health. In 1995, Harvard President Neil Rudenstine presented Mr. Oates with the Harvard Medal, awarded by the Harvard Alumni Association for "faithful and distinguished service" to the university. He also was a member of the boards of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, Chubb Life America, Steuben Partners, the Lauholm Trust, Partners for Democratic Change, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, and Maryland's Windsor School, among others. Throughout his life, Mr. Oates maintained a deep interest in international travel, beginning with study at Germany's University of Freiburg immediately prior to World War II. He subsequently served as an analyst and translator for the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey in 1945. He was an avid gardener, skier, and an Eagle Scout. He wrote several articles about the intersection of politics and education. In 2013, Mr. Oates published a collection of selected talks, essays, and other writings, entitled Views from the Rector's Porch: Lessons of a Headmaster.
Mr. Oates was married to Margaret Eavey Nichols of Fort Wayne, Ind., from 1940 until her death in 1965, and to Jean Matson of Concord, N.H., from 1976 until her death in 2004. He is survived by his brother, James F. Oates of Chicago, Ill.; his sons, William A. Oates Jr., of Dedham, Mass., James M. Oates, of Elkins, N.H., and Thomas N. Oates of Greenwich, Conn.; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
A private burial this month will be followed by a memorial service on May 30 at St. Paul's School. Arrangements by George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, Dedham.