Charles J. Bates (May 4, 1930 – September 28, 2006) was an American

food scientist Food science (or bromatology) is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing ...

who was involved in the development of

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...

formulas for

angel food Angel food cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. A whipping agent, such as cream of tartar, is commonly added. It differs from other cakes because it uses no butter. Its aerated texture comes from w ...

and

devil's food cake Devil's food cake is a moist, rich chocolate layer cake. Because of differing recipes and changing ingredient availability over the 20th century, it is difficult to precisely qualify what distinguishes devil's food from the more standard chocol ...

, then later developed

high fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose, and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzy ...

sweetener for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

. Away from his research, Bates was also involved with the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, earning numerous awards.

Early life

Born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, Bates moved to

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

where he would enroll at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

, graduating with his B.S. there in 1951. Bates would then enroll at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) where he would earn his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

food technology Food technology is a branch of food science that addresses the production, preservation, quality control and research and development of food products. It may also be understood as the science of ensuring that a society is food secure and ha ...

in 1957.

Research career

After earning his Ph.D. from MIT, Bates went to work at

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, where he developed formulas for

cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

mixes of angel food and devil's food cakes as part of the

Duncan Hines Duncan Hines (March 26, 1880 – March 15, 1959) was an American author and food critic known for his restaurant ratings for travelers. He is best known today for the brand of food products that bears his name. Early life, family and education ...

brand during the 1960s. In 1972, Bates moved to

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Located along Lake Michigan, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the Li ...

, where he worked for American Maize Company (now Cargill). While there, Bates developed

sweetener for Coca-Cola in their

soft drink A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) Carbonated water, carbonated, and typically including added Sweetness, sweetener. Flavors used to be Natural flav ...

s. He would retire from American Maize in 1993 as Vice President-Technical.

Professional activities involvement

Bates was an active member of the

American Association of Cereal Chemists Cereals & Grains Association (formerly AACC International, formerly the American Association of Cereal Chemists) is a non-profit professional organization of members who are specialists in the use of cereal grains in foods. Founded in 1916, they ...

(AACC), serving on their Board of directors in 1991. His main activity though was focused on the

Institute of Food Technologists The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is an international, non-profit scientific society of professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related areas in academia, government and industry. It has more than 17,000 members from ...

(IFT) where he joined in 1951 as a student. While a graduate student at MIT in 1954, Bates was a student member on IFT's National Education Committee, then worked on their Committee on Divisions in 1963. He represented IFT on the executive committee during 1981–84, then served as IFT President in 1985–86, and later as IFT Treasurer in 1989–90. Additionally, Bates served as Chair of IFT'
Chicago section
in 1983–84. For his service, Bates would be named an IFT Fellow in 1988 and receive the Calvert L. Willey Award in 1998. His father, Philip Sr. (1902–93) was IFT President in 1954–55, making them the only father-son combination to ever hold the IFT Presidency.

Boy Scouts of America involvement

Bates served for many years with the

(B.S.A.) as a volunteer in th
Calumet Council B.S.A.
of

Munster, Indiana Munster is a suburban town in North Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is in the Chicago metropolitan area, approximately southeast of the Chicago Loop, and shares municipal boundaries with Hammond to the north, Highland to the ...

. This included Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Council Commissioner of the council, and chairman of physical arrangements of the National Scout Jamboree 1997–2005. He would be awarded the

Silver Beaver Award The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of Scouting America. Recipients of the award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. Those deemed ...

Silver Antelope Award The Silver Antelope Award is a distinguished service award presented by Scouting America for outstanding service to young people within one of the organization’s divisions. Since 2022 award has been presented for service to a Council Service T ...

, the Heroism Award, and the James E. West fellow in 1996.

Family and church activities

Bates was married to Nancy for fifty years before her death in 2004. He also had two sons (Charles Jr. and Richard L.), one daughter (Priscillia (Penny) Crosland), two grandsons, one granddaughter, two brothers Philip K. Bates Jr. and Bradford , and numerous nieces and nephews as well. Bates also served as an elder of the First

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Church of

Crown Point, Indiana Crown Point is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,884 per the 2023 American Community Survey. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became ...

, and sang in the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

Death and memorial

Bates died on September 28, 2006, in Crown Point, Indiana. Memorials were listed in the November 2006 issue of ''Food Technology'', th
IFT Chicago section
and in the Calumet Council B.S.A. November/ December 2006 newsletter. A celebration of life service was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Crown Point on November 25, 2006.

References

*"1998 Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award." ''1998 IFT Annual Meeting Program & Food Expo Exhibit Directory.'' Chicago: Institute of Food Technologists. 1998. p. 62. *"In Memoriam: Charles J. Bates." ''Food Technology.'' November 2006. p. 77.

External links

Geisen Funeral Home (Crown Point, IN) information on Bates
- Accessed November 15, 2006.
IFT Chicago Section news of October 26, 2006
- Accessed November 15, 2006. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Charles J. 1930 births 2006 deaths American Presbyterians American food scientists California Institute of Technology alumni Fellows of the Institute of Food Technologists Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Scientists from Cincinnati Scientists from Dayton, Ohio People from Crown Point, Indiana