5 minute read
Honoring a Legend
Honoring a
Legend
These are just some of the ways members of
the St. Mark’s community described Tom Adams upon hearing the news of his passing on June 13, 2020, at the age of 82. For nearly a half-century, Tom was a legend in the classroom and on the playing fields, helping mold young boys into men of character. He was a master teacher, a championship-winning coach, and a role model to thousands.
Tom Adams was still a student himself when
then-St. Mark’s Headmaster Ted Whatley arrived at Princeton in 1961 for a recruiting trip. Tom accepted a job offer, saying that he would “try out teaching for a few years.”
Those few years turned into 47 as Tom would spend his entire professional career educating, coaching, and mentoring Marksmen. In the classroom, Tom was famous for his razor-sharp intellect, able to conjure historical dates and facts at a moment’s notice. After lettering in baseball and basketball at Princeton, Tom brought his passion for sports to St. Mark’s, with historic results. As a varsity coach, “The Hawk” won 21 SPC championships (six in basketball and 15 in baseball). And in his Art History class, young men discovered a love of art that many carry with them to this day. Even in retirement, Tom would give annual art and history lectures during Alumni Weekend to “students” who had graduated decades earlier.
During his tenure, Tom was the recipient of seven Marksmen yearbook dedications. The 2002 dedication reads, in part, “St. Mark’s and Mr. Adams have blended into one. Ask any graduate — even from 20 or 30 years back — to visualize his years at St. Mark’s, and Adams inevitably comes into focus. Quite simply, he is more than just a part of the family of St. Mark’s — he is a patriarch and one of the foundations of this family.”
Upon his retirement, The ReMarker student newspaper wrote: “Despite the respect and prestige he has developed in his years at St. Mark’s, Mr. Adams, sporting his customary blue oxford shirt and clutching a briefcase in his hand, is the epitome of humility, a trait that many of his admirers feel defines him."
“Mr. Adams will be a significant part of the fabric of St. Mark’s forever. He was truly larger than life, and he will be missed. The world needs more men like Tom Adams.” ~Carl Sewell III ’02
The legacy Tom Adams leaves behind is evident across campus in the myriad gifts, awards, and honors that bear his name, from the Thomas S. Adams Master Teaching Chair to the Thomas S. Adams Athletic Plaque. And beyond that, his legacy will live on in each of the boys he nurtured and inspired.
“It is difficult to capture the collective essence of what such a person meant to the universe of St. Mark’s students under his care over four decades because his memory is really a mystic mosaic formed by many individual twinkling recollections. Suffice to say that Tom Adams represents that which continues to be great about the St. Mark’s School of Texas.” ~Tony Price ’52
~Wendell Merritt ’66
“Always impeccably dressed, thoughtful, prepared, and well mannered; he was what many of us aspired to be!” ~Arif Mahmood ’03
"There was never a moment that Tom Adams shied away from his commitment to lead young men.” ~Tom Cheeks, Former Varsity Coach “Tom Adams was and always will be one of the pillars of St. Mark's. I know I am a better man for having crossed paths with Tom Adams!”
~Al Sorrels ’81
“Mr. Adams’ intelligence, sense of humor, and humility were unmatched. As many will say, he was a Renaissance man.” ~Scott Carlson ’05
“He was the BEST…in EVERYTHING. WHAT A ROLE MODEL!” ~Gary Marcus ’65
“Tom Adams inspired everyone he met to be a better person. His classes were the best. As an educator, there were none better. I will miss his compassion, wit, intellect, and friendship.” ~Randy Ackerman ’68
