MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – Kinecta Federal Credit Union Director Emeritus and former Board Chairman William E. Bates Jr. died Jan. 11 at the age of 78. Bates served during World War II in the Marine Corps on the Pacific Front and was awarded the Purple Heart. A passionate credit union advocate, Bates dedicated 30 years serving on the board of the $3 billion credit union and was known for leading the successful defeat of a 1988 Congressional proposal to merge the NCUSIF, the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. When interviewed for Kinecta's History Book, Bates said, "It gets into your blood, and when you get involved in a movement as a whole like I have, and you meet all of these great people all over the country, and they all basically have the same `people helping people' philosophy or some vestige of it, it is just great to be around."Bates is survived by his wife of 52 years Jacque, five children, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Wild Animal Zoological Society of San Diego.