Jack Adams, my father [see photo above], was born in Canton, Illinois, a small mining and farming community. He grew up knowing hard work and the hopelessness of rural poverty.

His father, Delbert Adams, could not read or write. He forced Jack to finish high school before enlisting in the Marine Corps. Jack fought in World War II, in the South Pacific, in some of the fiercest battles of the war. He returned to Illinois to marry my mother, Mary Louise Saal, and to begin a family.

Trained as a carpenter, he went on to start a small construction company. For the next 53 years he worked everyday at his trade. I spent afternoons after school and every summer, working on the most current renovation or new house. At eight, I swept floors and picked up scraps of wood; at 13, I glazed windows and helped with rough framing; at 16 I was allowed to hang drywall and mount trim.

It was a good education. Mastering physical objects delivers the feeling you can control what you can touch. Working in dirt and getting dirty encourages humility. Linking confidence and humility builds a wonderful foundation for effective leadership. Thirty years later, I learned that Alfred North Whitehead believed the same.

Jack Adams taught me to measure twice and cut once. Know what you want to do, plan it, check it, and check it again, before doing anything. Be sure it will fit. That is good advice, whether cutting a piece of molding or making an organizational change.

Jack also taught me about the fundamental importance of love, family and commitment. He died of cancer on November 14th, 1998. I miss him very much.

Jack D. Adams, 1923-1998

J. Michael Adams on family

Email address: president@fdu.edu