Frances Yates, pioneering woman at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, dies at 68

When Frances Yates received a letter from the Merchant Marine Academy requesting her application, she promptly tossed it in the garbage, her family said. In the early 1970s, women were not allowed in the academy.

But after some convincing that the letter was not a farce, Yates applied for the academy, a move that would change the trajectory of her entire life.

"Frances would walk into a room and make an immediate impression, one of self-confidence and professionalism, and she was always dressed to perfection," said friend and retired Navy commander Philip Echevarrio, of Great River.

The Huntington resident was one of the pioneering women admitted to a federal service academy. She died on Feb. 28 at the age of 68 after a brief bout with influenza A.

Yates was born on Jan. 13, 1957, in Fort Riley, Kansas, to an African American father and Japanese mother. With her father in the Army, she moved around frequently growing up but ultimately graduated from Monterey Senior High School in Los Angeles.

In July 1974, Yates entered the USMMA as one of 15 first-ever female midshipmen, only to become one of eight who graduated four years later.

Teresa "Terry" Preston, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, was a former classmate and roommate of Yates' at the Merchant Marine Academy in 1975. According to Preston, Yates was "an easy person to get along with," who was "never anything other than family."

"It's been a lifelong friendship and we clicked right off the bat. She was very cool; nothing fazed her," Preston said." "Everything she put her mind to she did great at. She was very low-key and didn't make a big deal about her accomplishments."

Whenever she was called upon for support of the academy, Yates was there, Preston said.

"She gave back a lot to the academy and always showed up. If they needed something, they always called Fran," Preston said.

Yates met her husband, Kevin Rodgers, in June 1988, when the two were at the Merchant Marine Academy planning a class party. According to Rodgers, Yates was "a beautiful, stunning woman," who immediately captivated him.

"She had a smile on her face that just captured my attention right away," said Rodgers, a retired Navy commander and currently senior project manager for BL Companies, an engineering and architecture firm. "We just hit it off. As soon as we started swapping stories, we realized how alike we were."

The couple were married on June 11, 1989, and moved to Huntington from Albertson in 1993.

After graduation, Yates worked as a third mate on oil tankers with Texaco and remained in the oil industry throughout her career. In 1999, she accepted a job at Hess, worked her way up, and retired as a global chartering manager for oil and chemical tankers.

Yates also joined a local Navy Reserve unit after graduation, and worked her way up through the ranks, her husband said, before leading more than 100 personnel in a Military Sealift Command logistics operation in the Northern Persian Gulf.

Yates retired as captain in January 2013.

According to her family, being a veteran meant everything to Yates.

"She was very proud of the fact that she was able to serve and was very grateful to this nation," Rodgers said. "She was very respected and took it to heart being one of the first women in the academy. She knew she was the trailblazer, she knew she was a leader ... many women told her that she made it easier for them to become involved in the academy."

According to her family, as a stepmother and grandmother, Yates was a role model who was fair and kept everything running.

"Frances was generous and caring, showing immense love and loyalty towards her family, friends, and colleagues," said Yates' brother, Vincent Yates, of Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Yates enjoyed playing tennis and golf, skiing, traveling, and crossword puzzles.

In addition to her husband and brother, Yates is survived by her four stepchildren, Kevin Jr., Sarah, Joshua and Bethany; nine grandchildren; and her sister, Anne. Her brothers, Michael and Saburo, died before her.

A funeral Mass was held on March 7 at the Church of St. Patrick in Huntington, followed by burial at Calverton National Cemetery.