Dwight Yates (Tanzania) Obituary
Dwight and I were neighborhood friends and grew up together from the fifth grade through high school in Ephrata, Washington.…
In the news —
Published by Redlands Daily Facts
Nov. 21, 2023
Dwight Yates (Tanzania 1964-66)
We sorrowfully announce that Dwight Yates (Tanzania 1964-66) passed away Sunday, November 12th, 2023, at the age of 81.
Dwight was born in Helena, Montana, and traveled widely in his youth. He taught in Tanzania, East Africa, during his time with the Peace Corps and continued his education in Arizona, where he met his wife, Nancy Carrick. Dwight moved to Redlands, CA in 1980 and quickly became a staple within the academic community in the Inland Empire.
He was a widely-published writer and professor of creative writing at UC Riverside. He knew how to connect deeply and – in written word – capture the range of our humanity completely.
Stories
Dwight Yates’ stories have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. His first collection, Haywire Hearts and Slide Trombones, received the Serena McDonald Kennedy Award from SnakeNation Press.
Stories
His second, Bring Everybody, was the inaugural winner of the Juniper Prize for fiction.
Dwight was a loving and lovable human being with a unique sense of humor. In addition to his other honors, he received National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships twice.
https://www.arts.gov/impact/literary-arts/creative-writing-fellows/dwight-yates
Quite by chance, I was posted with Dwight and three other Tanzania VII Peace Corps Volunteers to the Western Region to teach secondary school, 1965-1966. We shared a house on the government boarding school compound for two pleasant years at the renowned Tabora School where Dwight and I taught English for the Cambridge Overseas Exam syllabus and coached school sports. We became devoted friends and had kept closely in touch from those fascinating times until Dwight’s death, often sharing holidays together in subsequent years. He had a lovably funny sense of humour and as a stylist his writing teemed with wit and hilarity. Memory of his admirable life are solace in suffering our loss with his passing.
Dwight and I were neighborhood friends and grew up together from the fifth grade through high school in Ephrata, Washington. As close friends we scouted together and played football and although we travelled separate paths after those early years we rekindled our friendship, mostly via email, after we both retired. Our correspondence and infrequent personal get-togethers were always a joy as we recalled our collective early days and built recollections around shared events both real and imagined. His published stories and spontaneous, tales inspired my fledgling attempts to write nonsensical stories that he always claimed were entertaining. With great trepidation I once asked him how I would fare in one of his creative writing classes. Being the gentleman and good friend he demurred and replied with a kind and non-specific answer. Regardless, I have continued to develop stories that relatives and friends claim to enjoy. On the rare occasions I receive praise I credit Dwight’s encouragement for my feeble attempts to capture his unique sense of humor and dry wit.
I miss him greatly. His departure leaves a hole in my heart.
Mikelucas23@comcast.net