One Is Never Too Old to Earn a Ph.D., History Scholar Learns

Irene Bates of Pacific Palisades left school in her native England when she was 14 years old. Last Sunday, the 70-year-old history scholar was awarded her Ph.D. during commencement exercises at UCLA.

Bates married and raised four children. She didn’t resume her education until 40 years later, when she was living in Utah, and a daughter persuaded her to enroll in a couple of classes at the state university.

Soon afterward, she moved to Pacific Palisades and became a full-time student at Santa Monica College. From there, she went on to complete an undergraduate degree in sociology at UCLA.

“I have always been a big reader,” she said. “But I would have never dared go back to school without my daughter’s help.”

During her undergraduate studies, Bates discovered a keen interest in United States history. With the support and encouragement of her family, she returned to UCLA for a master’s degree in history.

“You tend to vegetate and get comfortable,” she said. “School is like adventuring in your mind, and I thoroughly enjoy it.”

The master’s degree whetted her appetite for further challenges, and she returned to pursue a doctorate. “I enjoy doing research and writing,” she said, “but really the hardest thing for me was learning the mechanics of using the computer.”

The Ph.D. took 4 1/2 years, culminating with a dissertation on an aspect of Mormon history. Bates, who has 11 grandchildren, says she hopes to write a book on a related subject.

“Keeping alive one’s curiosity is life-saving,” she said. “It makes life interesting and purposeful.”

After 35 years of service as minister of the Unitarian Community Church of Santa Monica, the Rev. Ernie Pipes will retire at the end of this month. He was honored by his congregation, friends and colleagues at a banquet June 15 in Santa Monica.

The Gleitsman Foundation of Malibu, a philanthropic organization devoted to recognizing individual accomplishments in the field of social activism, has named noted civil rights lawyer Morris Dees to its Board of Judges.

Dees, a longtime crusader against the Ku Klux Klan and other forms of social injustice, will also be presented with the Barbara Jordan Award by the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee during ceremonies June 27 in Beverly Hills.

Playa del Rey resident Valeria Velasco was appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley to serve as a commissioner on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Velasco, a personal injury attorney, will serve a five-year term.

Steve Becker, aquatics director of the Westside Jewish Community Center, has been named swimming coach for the United States team at the Pan-American Maccabiah Games, which run from July 2 to 16 in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Becker, an aquatics instructor for 18 years at the center, graduated from UCLA. He lives in Santa Monica.

Nikki Mahoney of Culver City sank 25 consecutive free-throw shots to win the Elks National Hoop Shoot Championship in Springfield, Mass., for the 8- to 9-year-old girls division. She was among 72 finalists competing at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, out of 3.5 million original contestants, aged 8 to 13.

George C. Page and Richard Eamer were honored at Pepperdine University’s 15th Annual Associates dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 21.

Eamer, the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of National Medical Enterprises in Santa Monica, was recognized for his philanthropic work. Page, benefactor of the Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, has been a longtime Pepperdine donor.