Douglas Gates

Douglas Gates
July 6, 2021
San Luis Obispo, California - Douglas J. Gates, who worked at Cal Poly's Robert E. Kennedy Library for nearly 40 years, passed away in San Luis Obispo on July 6th after a struggle with cancer. Born in Bakersfield in 1947, Douglas was the only child of Lloyd M. Gates and Elizabeth A. Gates, who were both educators. Inspired by his parents to a life-long love of learning, Douglas earned a BA at the University of California at Berkeley, and two MA degrees, one at San Jose State University and the other at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. That same inspiration for the value of education led Douglas to a long career in libraries, first in the Kern County Library (1971-1980) and then at the Robert E. Kennedy Library at Cal Poly (1981-2019). Douglas started as a student assistant himself at the Kennedy Library, and in a token of passing the torch, recently seeded a scholarship to help support library student assistants. Douglas often brought smiles and warmth to both his colleagues and the thousands of patrons he assisted, and was a beloved regular patron of the Palm Theater in downtown San Luis Obispo. Douglas was often bemused by life, and though he joked in mordant agreement with the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that the ultimate answer to life is "42," he was ever grateful that he had friends, acquaintances, colleagues and neighbors who added fulfillment and meaning to his life. A celebration for Doug will be held on Thursday, July 15, at 5:30pm, in Anholm Park (870 Mission Street.) Douglas did not indicate a favorite charity, but hoped people might be stirred to give to any cause that speaks to their heart.