Arnold Dale Oates

Dr. Arnold Dale Oates, 85, of Tyler, Texas, met his Heavenly Father on Saturday, June 3, 2023, surrounded by loving family members. He was born in Ben Franklin, Delta County, Texas, on August 30, 1937, to Arnold Oates, Sr., and Beulah Endsley Oates. Arnold grew up in Paris, Texas, attending public schools and Paris Junior College. Arnold's parents, two of his three younger sisters, Susan Oates Davis and Anna Oates Mathews, and son-in-law Douglas Garold Erickson preceded him in death.

Arnold married his soulmate, Martha Holloway, on June 4, 1960, in a country church near Palestine, Texas. The couple would have celebrated 63 years of priceless companionship and love on June 4th of this year.

Throughout their marriage, Arnold and Martha had many wonderful experiences. They lived and worked in seven states and traveled extensively in the U.S. and twenty-five other countries. From 2001-2016 they were delegates to the American Association of School Administrators International Seminar on Schooling. This group studied educational practices and culture in several European, Scandinavian, and South and Central American countries. Their travels also included South Africa, Zimbabwe, Singapore, South Vietnam, Croatia and Hong Kong. As ambassadors in the People-to-People Program, they visited Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. In September 2022, Arnold and Martha traveled to Germany to see the Oberammergau Passion Play and cruise the Danube River stopping in Vienna and Budapest.

Arnold's Texas teaching career started in August 1958 when he was 21. He taught biology, chemistry and physics at Talco and Big Spring high schools before being named the Sands Junior-Senior High School Principal in Ackerly. This tenure was interrupted when his Army National Guard Unit was activated during the Berlin Crisis. Arnold started work in 1963 on his Ph.D. in educational administration at Texas A&M University-Commerce (then known as ETSU). During this time, he was assistant superintendent at Bonham ISD. Arnold completed his doctoral degree in May 1966-an admirable accomplishment considering he was 28 years old and had seven years of professional experience.

In August 1966, Arnold joined the Education and Technical Service Division of the Philco-Ford Corporation as an executive administrator. He served as education manager at a women's job corps center before being named Director of the Madera (CA) Employment Training Center. This center prepared Native Americans to move from the reservation to urban areas for employment. His last position with Philco-Ford was director of all the company's manpower training operations nationwide.

Arnold returned to public education in the summer of 1970 as Principal of T.C. Williams Senior High School in Alexandria, Virginia. He and his staff and students faced many challenges as the district merged three racially disparate high schools into one. The success and inspiring bonds that the T.C. students made in 1971 are depicted in the movie "Remember the Titans." Arnold and Coach Herman Boone, who led their football team to a state championship, developed a lifelong friendship. He also stayed in touch with students and was proud of their work to overcome prejudice and stand united. Arnold became superintendent of the Campbell County Schools (VA) in 1973.

Upon his return to Texas in 1980, Arnold served as superintendent for the Greenville ISD, Brazosport ISD and the North East ISD in San Antonio. North East was a large school district for its time and has continued to grow to 60,000 students across 70 campuses. In 1986 Arnold began a 13-year tenure at Texas A&M University as a professor in the Department of Educational Administration, where he trained school administrators and chaired numerous doctoral committees. Arnold was also president of his educational consulting firm Texas School Planning, Inc. Over the last 25 years, he worked with more than 100 school districts, conducting demographic and land use studies, facility planning, and bond issue preparation. He has been praised for his wise counsel and ability to build collaborative relationships. Arnold completed his last TSPI consulting contract at age 80 but continued to work as Senior Advisor for the strategic communications firm Erickson Strategies.

During Arnold's more than 50 years of educational leadership, he received many honors and awards. In the mid-1980s, he was named one of the 100 Top U.S. Executive Educators by the National School Board Association and also received an Award of Honor from the National School Public Relations Association. In 2005 he was named one of 115 Outstanding Alumni of the TAMU-Commerce College of Education and Human Services. Arnold cast a wide shadow as board member and president of the United States Academic Decathlon from 1987-2000, President of the Southern Region Council of Educational Facility Planners, and as a United Way of Bexar County-San Antonio board member.

Arnold was a servant-leader who supported many non-profit organizations in missions to help those in need. He was a deacon, elder and trustee of First Presbyterian Church-Tyler and served as President of the Board of Gilmont Camp and Conference Center in Gilmer, Texas. He was the recipient of the Camp Gilmont Arbor Award in 2016. This award is given to an individual who, like an arbor in the forest, provides a canopy that gently covers and protects all that lies below. An engraved garden stone is given to the recipient, and a duplicate is kept at Gilmont. Arnold was a generous, kind, and brilliant Godly man who made a difference in many people's lives. He was a wonderful son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend!

Left to treasure his memory are his wife, Martha; children Katherine Oates Erickson and Mark Oates; daughter-in-law Christi, whom he considered another daughter; and his sister Linda Oates Spaits. "Doc" will be dearly missed by his three granddaughters, Taylor Anne Jester (husband, Justin Jester), Elizabeth Oates, and Rebecca Oates, and his bonus grandson Chase Woodworth. His 18-month-old great-granddaughter Harper Anne made her Doc smile and will learn more about him as she matures. A host of other relatives-nieces, nephews, and cousins-and many special friends and colleagues in Texas and other parts of the country will miss having him in their lives. The family is thankful to God for providing His grace, strength and mercy and to friends, extended family and others who knew and loved Arnold for their support.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, June 24, 2023, in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, 230 W. Rusk Street, Tyler, TX 75701. Memorials may be made in Arnold's name to any charity or Gilmont Camp and Conference Center, 6075 State Hwy: 155 North, Gilmer, TX 75644, or the Garden of Memories Cemetery Association (Fence Fund), c/o Ron Spears, P.O. Box 560, Ben Franklin, TX 75415.