The Yates File

Graduation Year: 1958

Major: Business

Additional Degrees: Master’s in Guidance and Counseling, University of Colorado, and Doctorate in Counseling Psychology, Arizona State University

Current Residence: Cleveland, Ohio

Current Occupation: Retired Educator

Much has changed since Dr. Richard Yates’ days at Morningside College. He reflected on his journey before, during and since his days on campus back in the 1950s.

Yates, an African-American originally from Sioux City, really did not have plans to attend college largely because of the expense and lack of encouragement to try. However, on the last day of his senior year in high school, the guidance counselor approached him about a special scholarship to be awarded to the African-American male with the highest grade point average.

“The scholarship enabled me to attend college, and I chose Morningside for its proximity to home, its good reputation as an educational institution, its range of academic choices of interest to me and its affordability with the funds from the scholarship,” Yates said. “In addition, many of my friends indicated that Morningside was a good academic environment and friendly campus.”

As Yates reflected on the education he received at Morningside, he said, “It helped me understand the meaning of striving to achieve educational goals combined with spiritual advancement. It also provided me the opportunity to participate in athletics and travel around the North Central Conference and make friends and associates.”

He said Morningside also prepared him well for his career.

“I was well trained,” he said. “I was able to teach in the Denver Public Schools and continue to progress and earn higher academic degrees. It also laid the foundation for me to earn my master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Colorado and then to obtain my doctorate from Arizona State University.”

On overcoming obstacles, Yates shared the following: “I met my first wife at Morningside, and she was instrumental in supporting me to continue to pursue my dream to become a teacher. She taught me that sometimes you have to take a risk into the unknown to reap the benefits of achieving your goals and to believe that they can be reached.

“Strange as it seems, some people protected me from the consequences of racism by choosing not to include me on a series of basketball games played in the South. At the time it felt like discrimination, but upon reflection, it appears to have been a wise decision to spare me or the rest of the team the indignities of the Jim Crow segregation.”

Yates’ spiritual life also plays a large part of who he is, and that, he maintains, has allowed him to grow as a person. He is a member of the Baha’i Faith and has traveled to England, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Luxemburg, Italy, Greece, Ethiopia and India singing in Baha’i choirs.

Yates spent more than 40 years in the counseling field at three universities – Colorado State, University of Iowa and Cleveland State. He served as vice president of the International Association of Counseling Directors; taught psychology and related subjects at the collegiate level; consulted as an organizational development specialist in many different organizational settings; and worked with professional athletes through the NFL Rookie Enrichment Program.

So what advice does Yates have for Morningside College students?

“Take advantage of all the learning opportunities available to you,” he said. “Strive to become a servant leader and develop a sense of civic duty and commitment. Take advantage of the materials and guidance that will help you understand who you are, what your skills are, and who you will become. Utilize all the services available to help you obtain a relevant position upon graduation. A small college provides the opportunity for more intimate, hands-on learning. Take advantage of that as well.”

-Gene Ambroson