At the time of signing, Yates was Captain of the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier. I have found it surprisingly hard to update his bio. He appears to have attained the status of Admiral before he retired, and as best as I can tell he is still alive. But there is some confusion, as it seems there was another US Navy Admiral named Earl Yates. This is Earl P. Yates, and there was an Admiral Earl F. Yates, and many online sources simply refer to Admiral Earl Yates.
In any event, Happy Veteran’s Day. Autograph received 2/14/1969.
