“In order for the Yates brothers to get the family car, they had to take John with them because he was so young. John was born in 1929 and the other boys were born in 1910, 1912, and 1914. So when the older boys were teenagers, John was just a little kid. They had to take him along on dates and he rode in the back seat.”
— Estelle Yates, wife of S.P. Yates, taken from the book Yates A family, a company and some cornfield geology by Ellen M. Hopkins
“All three of us were doing well even before Dad died in 1949. Everybody but John already had his own personal outfit. I was the trustee of Dad’s estate. One of the things my parents extracted from me was a promise to look after John. He was younger, by himself and hadn’t had the chance to do what we did. So we formed a partnership from the estate, Yates Brothers. The idea was to all work together. Instead of dividing up the property we decided we’d keep it and operate it. As time went on we kept putting more and more into Yates Brothers, even some deals that we had individually. We tried to assure that we were all pulling on the same vein, that we weren’t out competing.”
— S.P. Yates, taken from the book Yates A family, a company and some cornfield geology
“I believe he completely changed our community and truly helped it become what it is today. Not only by pouring money into it but because of the companies he created he has and will continue to provide jobs for generations.”
— Jamie Montoya, former employee of John’s
“The Yates Corporation and certainly the family members have been a great asset and have been considered a ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ in Artesia for more than 50 years.”
— Raye Miller, former Artesia Mayor, and former owner of Regeneration Energy in Artesia, as reported in the September 6, 2016 Carlsbad Current Argus
“John was a giant of a man. I knew him personally, and he was a true friend. He was also a true friend to the Republican Party. He always supported our candidates and backed the Party in many ways. He believed in the GOP mission and its values and ideals. He was great inspiration to conservative causes. The Party and I offer our condolences to the Yates family at this difficult time.”
— Steve Pearce, RPNM Chairman, as reported in Los Alamos Daily Post
“John, as well as the Yates family as a whole, have been and will continue to be much admired for their contributions to our state and nation. I wish them all God’s peace and comfort during this time of loss and sorrow.”
— Rep. Jim Townsend, New Mexico House Republican Leader, as reported in Los Alamos Daily Post
