Thomas Bates was born on November 18, 1921, in Davenport, Iowa. He graduated from Central High School and attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, MA. During World War II, he served in the Air Force and attained the rank of captain.

After the war, Thomas worked at Red Jacket Manufacturing Co. in Davenport in advertising, sales, and financial administration. He resigned his position as Financial Vice-President in 1967 to become a grain and livestock farmer in Bennett, Iowa. He retired from farming in 1981.

Vera French was born on September 14, 1921, in Davenport. After graduating from St. Katharine’s School in Davenport and Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Vera received her Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University and an MD from Columbia University. She then completed an internship and residency at the University Hospitals in Iowa City.

Vera served as an assistant professor of psychology at Bryn Mawr College from 1944 to 1949 and associate clinical professor at the University of Iowa from 1965 to 1968. She was in private practice in Davenport from 1955 until 1961 when she joined the staff of the Mental Health Center of Scott County. She was associate director until 1968 when she became the center’s director, a position she held until her retirement in 1980. In honor of Dr. French’s contributions to the field of mental health in the Quad Cities, the center was renamed the Vera French Community Mental Health Center in 1982.

Thomas and Vera were married in 1953. They had twin sons, Christopher and John, and a daughter, Alison. Vera’s nephew, Michael Hoyt, became a part of the immediate family following his mother’s death.

Thomas and Vera were drawn to the Community Foundation because it spans the many areas they were interested in helping. They once said, “This has always been our home and our community. Giving through the Community Foundation assures that our philanthropic goals will continue for future generations.”