George Monroe Bateman
12 Sep 1897 - 28 Jan 1972
bornBloomington, Idaho, USA
diedTempe, Arizona, USA
SchooltblData
BiographyScience professor at Arizona State Teachers College/Arizona State College, 1927-1962. His ancestors were among the earliest settlers of Utah and Idaho. Two of his great-grandparents were members of the Mormon Battalion in 1846. In 1907, his family moved to Paris, Idaho. He attended high school at Fielding Academy, and graduated as the valedictorian of his class in 1917. He attended Utah Agricultural College, and worked during the summers for International Harvester Company. He worked as a part-time instructor in the Department of Chemistry during his senior year. He graduated in
1921 with a B.S. in chemistry. After graduation, he taught science and mathematics at the high school in Grace, Idaho, for one year. He was principal of the public schools in Arimo, Idaho, 1922-1924. In 1924 he began his graduate studies in chemistry at Cornell University, earning his M.S. in 1926 and Ph.D. in 1927.
He started as an instuctor of physical science at Arizona State Teachers College in 1927. He was credited with guiding the development of the science program at ASU. Up to that time, there had never been any college level courses offered in biology, chemistry or physics, and he was the only
instructor on the college faculty with a doctorate. He developed the science program at Tempe, adding courses in botany, zoology, chemistry, physics, and geology. He also organized two-year
programs in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-engineering, and chemistry. Under his direction, in 1940 the first college degree program in medical technology was initiated, and in 1944 he organized the nursing program, which developed into a full
accredited nursing school in 1957. As head of the Division of Sciences, and later, of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, he was active in spearheading the design and construction of two major campus buildings -- the Agriculture Building and the Physical Sciences Building. He was a member of the Graduate Council for 20 years, served on the Adminstrative Council for 15 years, was chairman of the Athletic Board, and served as chairman of the faculty. In 1962, he retired after 35 years of service at the university.
He was actively involved in the Mormon church. He was bishop of the Tempe Ward, 1945-1949, and was a member of both the Phoenix and Maricopa Stake High Councils.
He served as a captain in the U.S. Army, 1918-1919, and again as an officer in the Chemical Warfare Service during World War II. In 1944, he was commander of the Tempe post of the American Legion. He served as a scoutmaster and as Tempe District BSA chairman. He was a member of the American Chemical Society, the Arizona Academy of Science, and was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1928, '29 lived at 421 Tyler St. In 1930, '31, -'32 lived at 922 Maple Ave.
Lived at 1106 Van Ness Avenue in 1940.
Lived at 515 Broadmor Drive.
BIO-Bateman
George M. Bateman obit, AR, 30 Jan 1972
George M. Bateman obit, TDN, 5 Feb 1972
Old Settlers collection, THM
Hopkins and Thomas, The ASU Story, p. 209
Tempe Telephone Directory, 1940
Double Butte Cemetery, Tempe Tempe CD 1928, '29, '30, '31, -'32
Person TypeIndividual
