Obituaries

A.E. Griffith Bates Jr.Systems Analyst, Volunteer

A.E. Griffith Bates Jr., 77, a former systems analyst for the Defense Mapping Agency and a longtime volunteer for Greenpeace, died of pulmonary fibrosis Jan. 1 at the Community Hospice of Washington.

Mr. Bates logged more than 25,000 hours of volunteer work with Greenpeace after his retirement in 1991. He set up the environmental advocacy organization's archive system for images, documents and memorabilia at a time when the group had no internal record-retention systems. He also volunteered in the finance department, not considered a glamorous post for volunteers.

The nonprofit group Public Citizen gave Mr. Bates its fifth annual Phyllis McCarthy Public Interest Service Award just over a month ago for his volunteer service.

Mr. Bates was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Wheeling, W.Va. He attended West Virginia University. He enlisted in the Army during his senior year and served in the Korean War as a forward observer in the 23rd Infantry Regiment. After his discharge, he graduated from college and then worked at Graybar Electric in Knoxville, Tenn., from 1954 to 1963.

He moved to Washington in 1963 and eventually worked for the Defense Mapping Agency until his retirement.

Mr. Bates moved to California in 2004 but returned to Washington the next year and resumed his volunteer work. He had season tickets to the Baltimore Orioles' Sunday games but switched allegiance to the Washington Nationals when they came to town. For years, he spent every Saturday at the National Archives, researching the activities of his Army group in the Korean War.

His marriage to Ruth Beeler ended in divorce.

Survivors include a sister.

-- Patricia Sullivan

Virginia Dee FairmanNational Park Service Employee

Virginia Dee Fairman, 91, a retired employee of the National Park Service and longtime Arlington County resident, died Dec. 19 at Iliff Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Dunn Loring. She had inanition, or marked age-related weakness.