Bates Person Name Style

An accurate presentation of a Bates person’s name and affiliation with the college is essential in Bates communications.

Alumni Names

In all Bates communications, include the class year for an alumnus or alumna, using a single curly quotes. The apostrophe should look like this:

Include an alumna’s college and married name in communications to help convey the person’s identity:

  • Correct: Marie Fairbanks Fernandez ’62 is coming to Reunion.
  • Incorrect: Marie Fairbanks ’62 is coming to Reunion.

To avoid confusion between current class years and those of the early 20th century and late 19th century, use this construction:

  • Joseph Smith, Class of 1922, was a chemist.

When referring to spouses who are both alumni, use this format:

  • Milton L. Lindholm ’35 and Jane Ault Lindholm ’37 attended Reunion (preferred)
  • Milton L. ’35 and Jane Ault Lindholm ’37 attended Reunion (OK).

When referring to both spouses and only one is an alumnus or alumna:

  • Jane Smiley Smith ’65 and Joe Smith enjoyed Reunion.
  • John Jones and Jane Jones ’65 enjoyed Reunion.
  • John and Jane Emerson Jones ’65 enjoyed Reunion.

Parents

A person’s P designation is included in lists, rosters, invitations, citations, awards, and plaques. A person’s P designation is included in Bates News or Bates Magazine stories only when it is relevant to the story.

Parent designations carry the P’XX designation (no space between P and class year) or GP’XX (grandparent) designation.

When referring to both spouses who are Bates parents and when the woman has taken the husband’s name, use this construction:

  • Jane A. and Erik C. Smith P’03

When a parent has more than one Bates child, begin with the oldest child’s class year and add more recent class years, separated by comma and a space.

  • Jane S. Smith P’00, P’02 is loyal to Bates, and is friends with Steve Smith GP’01.

Alumni Who Are Parents

When a person is both an alumnus/a and a Bates parent, include the P designation only when it is important/relevant to show the person’s dual commitment/relationship to the college. (Often is the case with fundraising or volunteer news.) Add the parent designation after alumni class year, separated by a comma and a space, with no comma after the final P designation:

  • Chair of the Board of Trustees Mike Bonney ’80, P’09, P’12 announced the multi-donor Catalyst Fund pledge to a crowd in Chase Hall.

When both spouses are Bates parents, the man is an alumnus and the woman uses her husband’s name, use this construction, placing the alumnus first and P designations last:

  • Robert ’79 and Molly Curtis P’13, P’14 attended Reunion.

When both parents are alumni, use this construction, placing the man first:

  • Victor ’83 and Liz Smith Ortiz ’85, P’14 attended Reunion.

Students

Use class years for students, rather than sophomore, junior, etc.

  • Jane Fernandez ’14 is an All-America selection in field hockey.

Honorary

Place a space between the honorary degree abbreviation and the year:

  • Catharine R. Stimpson, LL.D. ’90

Honorary goes after undergraduate degree:

  • Philip M. Isaacson ’47,  L.H.D. ’97

Parent status goes after honorary:

  • E. Robert Kinney ’39, LL.D. ’85, P’70

In a sentence, no comma after degree:

  • Catharine Stimpson, LL.D. ’90 supported the committee.