Bate, John W.
(born: 1854 - died: 1945)John William Bate was born in Louisville, KY, son of John Bate (slave owner) and Nancy Dickerson (slave). Bate graduated from Berea College in 1881 and again in 1891. His first teaching job took him to Danville's one-room shanty school building, which John Bate transformed into an accredited standard high school with many rooms, including an auditorium that seated 700 persons. Bate was principal and teacher at the school for 59 years; in his honor the school was renamed Bate High School. In 1964, following integration, the school became Bate Middle School. A Kentucky Historical Marker [#2186] has been placed on the Bate High School grounds. John W. Bate was the father of Langston F. Bate, and the husband of Ida Lindsey Bate who died in 1910. For more see The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians, by A. A. Dunnigan; Who's Who of the Colored Race, 1915; and "Rites Held for Prof. John W. Bate, Educator," The K.N.E.A. Journal, vol. 17, no. 1 (Oct-Nov 1945), p. 24.
