A toast for Dr. and Mrs. J.F. Adams

Fred Adams

MIKE WEST
Courier Editor

Friends of Adams Memorial Library gathered Thursday, April 20 to honor the legendary Dr. and Mrs. J.F. Adams.

The event held at Cannon County High School was the 10th fundraiser for the library group and marked the 50-year anniversary of Adams Library.
Members of the Adams family gathered to toast the achievements of the couple for the people of Cannon County. Special guests included two of Dr. and Mrs. Adams daughters, Melena Adams Ose and from California and Agnes Adams Adkinson of Florida. All spoke fondly of the many achievements of "Poppa" and "Granny" Adams.

Speakers included Adams' grandchildren Fred Adams and Angie Ott, both of Woodbury.

Ms. Ott, who moved to Woodbury a decade ago, had a different perspective.

"I found myself looking at Cannon County and Woodbury in a different way. I looked to see what was left of my grandparents," Angie said. "I knew they were involved in all the things that were have heard about tonight. I was very involved in the library thanks to Aunt Wilma (Adams) saying you are going to take my spot now.

"What most struck me about the lasting effects of my grandparents lives, in addition to all the family members who have gone out to do their part in the world, is to read the obituaries here in the Cannon Courier. When I read a little about people's lives ... she worked at the box factory, she worked at the shirt factory, they were dairy farmers, they taught in the schools ... and I realize that every one of those people's lives had been made a little bit richer and had many more possibilities because of many people but including Jesse Franklin and Laura Hudson Adams.

"They touched just about every life in this county. The people here have gone out into the world and are doing good things because they got a start. They had food on the table because there were jobs and they got to go to school," Angie said.

"The library is not something that Poppa was ever involved in. Granny was involved in the beginning of it and chose the oak paneling that was in the library and still is, but I think that they would be very pleased with the work that the library is doing every day.

"People are walking through those doors and saying 'how can I make my life better ... how can I improve my family? They come in and they use those computers to apply for jobs and they will take examinations for a driving test. There are many examinations that happen online. And they come into the library and take those tests. They come in and learn something they need to improve their lives and the lives of their family." she said.

"The library is a wonderful, wonderful way to extend the legacy of Jesse Franklin and Laura Hudson Adams," Ms. Ott concluded.

The Adams had five boys and four girls. All were college educated.

"What a pair Dr. Adams and Mrs. Adams were," said Steve Smith, whose father the late Bill Smith was associated with Adams at Woodbury's Bank of Commerce.

"Dr. Adams has left his footprint on Cannon County and more places and on more people than you can imagine," Smith said, listing Adams' role in establishing early industry locally including the Box Factory, the Armour Cheese Plant and Colonial Corp. of America. Colonial, better known as the shirt factory, employed 2,300 at its peak.

"Mr. Adams was a family doctor. His bottom line was helping people," Smith said.

That help included helping Steve's dad, Bill. He hired him in 1950 to work at the bank.

Known for his dry sense of humor, Adams took a matter of fact approach to medicine and business.

"The Bible Camp on Short Mountain was near and dear to Dr. Adams' heart," Smith said.

After purchasing the land and equipping the camp, Dr. Adams leased it back for 99 years on a $1 lease.

"There's never been a person, other than Jesus, that has helped so many people," Smith concluded.

Fred Adams, the son of the Adams' son, Dr. Carl Adams, shared a story of toughness.

Young Fred was trying to sow down a field - unsuccessfully - when Poppa Adams drove up in his car.

"He said, 'I thought you were putting seed in the ground," Fred said. When Fred attempted to explain his problem, the elder Adams just shook his head and drove off. The next day Poppa returned and handed Fred a wrench and pliers and said, "fix it and put the seed in the ground" before driving off again.

Granny Adams also set a tough example for all the Adams grandchildren.

Fred and his wife Kitty were newlyweds when Granny announced she wanted to come and stay a few days.

After a day's work, Fred arrived back at home where Granny had ironed all of his shirts and announced they still had years of wear left. The next days she ironed all the underwear. Needless to say, Kitty didn't follow that example, he said.

The diminutive Granny Adams stood 5-feet-2 and when she was driving her big Desoto around the county she looked out between the dash and the top of the steering wheel.

"I want to correct something. Someone said Mama always knew where she was going," said daughter Agnes Adkinson. At the time, there were only two marked highways in the county. Mrs. Adams never had a driving lesson.

"She just got into the car and started driving," Agnes said. Quite often she was completely lost, but Mrs. Adams stayed just as busy as her husband. "She worked at the hospital as much as he did," she said.

Daughter Melena Adams Ose said she has a distinction when he comes to the many babies born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Woodbury.

"Dr. Adams delivered me and he didn't send a bill," she laughed.

Melena said her father was much too observant. For example is the day Melena and a friend left school early and took a few apples from a neighbor's yard. The girls soon found themselves pitching apple cores at passing cars. When one of the cores accidentally went over an open car window and into the vehicle the girls ran and hid.

Shortly there after, Melena when home and discovered her father reading a newspaper. He looked at her and said: "Daughter, it's not a good idea to throw apple cores at cars."

Her parents did whatever they could to make Woodbury and Cannon County a better place.

"If we needed to shop we didn't go to Murfreesboro or McMinnville," Melena said.