Rex Bates: Celebrating A Legacy of Dedication and Impact at AWS

When learning the histories of schools, one inevitably finds the well-known founders and benefactors, iconic teachers, and successful alumni.

 

These individuals are, undoubtedly, important to the story of the school. However, in almost all instances, the histories overlook critically important people who never sought the spotlight. These silent supporters donate time, resources, and talent to the betterment of a school without seeking anything in return. Their quiet dedication can be easily overlooked. We won't let that happen with Rex Bates.

 

26 years ago, Rex and his wife Angela enrolled their eldest daughter in Pre-K. It didn't take long for school leadership to recognize what it had in Rex. Not only was Rex a brilliant thinker and a grounded "school person," but he and his family were immediately (and generously) supportive of the school's desire to improve facilities, enhance student scholarships, and raise faculty salaries. It came as no surprise, then, that Rex was brought onto the Board of Trustees, and equally no surprise that he was named Board Chair. His steady hand and student-centeredness guided the school through several difficult leadership transitions, allowing us to eventually hire Christian Sullivan. It was through Rex's relationship with Christian that Rex came to work at Annie Wright initially as the Development Director and then ultimately as the Director of International Advancement.

 

While few families, if any, have been more financially generous to Annie Wright than Rex's, and while Rex's leadership at the Board and Senior Leadership levels have been pronounced, itt feels unequivocally true that the greatest gift he gave to AWS was his unwavering dedication, support, and care of students, specifically the international students. At his core, Rex is an educator. He embraced the chance to work with students during some of their most formative years. Sometimes a counselor, a motivator, a teacher, and a coach, Rex always felt students' joy and their pain, and he spent countless years helping them identify, and then achieve, success as they defined it. Because of this, Rex is adored by students, alumni, and parents the world over.

 

As Rex stands more firmly in his retirement, we hope he sees the impact he has had on Annie Wright Schools. It's not an overstatement to say that Rex has been as important to this institution as anyone in its illustrious history. Rex, you have done what we all strive to do with our lives... You have made a difference!