He was a great gentleman of the old school. Listen to Bobby Jones's old aristocratic Atlanta accent on his instructional films. I have never heard it anywhere other than that generation of Atlantans. It was slow paced and beautifully mellifluous. "Good shot" had seven syllables.
Mr. Yates had the accent. Coupled with a wonderful sense of humor and a knack for story telling, he was someone you could listen to for hours.
Mr. Yates was more than an ex-great golfer, however. He was pivotal in the funding of a new hall for the Atlanta Symphony and a complex of buildings that is now the center of theater and art for the city.
(By way of contrast, can you imagine a Ben Hogan or a Jack Nicklaus or any modern world class player displeased with the acoustics at a Brahms concert and determining that money needed to be raised for a new hall?)
He was also an active partner with Tom Cousins in the charitable work done by the East Lake Foundation.
A remarkable man. May he rest in peace. Golf was the least of his gifts.
Bob