F E AT U R E S
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD T.K. and Louise Adams married at a small church in Waycross in 1959, then relocated to Newton County days later to start their teaching careers together. They have spent more than six decades impacting the community through their commitment to education, their love of music and their tireless devotion to one another. by TERRI WEBSTER Two teenagers in Waycross formed a special friendship and became high school sweethearts in the 1950s. Unbeknownst to them, their relationship would continue to develop and flourish over the course of more than six decades. Timothy K. Adams, known as T.K., and Louise Bennett could never have imagined where their lives and careers would take them after their high school graduation. T.K. became a college student at Morris Brown College, while Louise attended Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) in Atlanta. While on Christmas break from college, T.K. was with Louise at her grandmother’s house, and one morning, he took the leap and proposed. He put a ring on her finger at the breakfast table. She, of course, said “Yes!” A few months later, they finished college with degrees in education and a wedding to plan. Their small-town church had never had a bride and groom get married in its sanctuary. T.K. and Louise were the first. The community came together to make sure their wedding was special, and on Aug. 14, 1959, Louise met T.K. at the alter wearing a wedding dress she had made herself. Four days later,
14 The Newton
they moved to Covington, where they had landed teaching jobs with the Newton County School System. T.K. taught high school band, while Louise taught fourth grade. He was 24 years old, his wife two years younger, when they embarked on the first of their many adventures together. Before their big move, the Adamses enjoyed a one-night honeymoon on Jekyll Island. While walking on the beach there, they ran into a band director from Clark College. Husband and wife can still recall the advice T.K. was given in regards to his new job as a band director: “Tim, don’t be a band director. Be a teacher. Take care of those kids.” On Aug. 21, 1959, the young couple hit the ground running only one week after they married. The seasoned teacher’s words on the beach stuck with them, and from day one, they made it their mission as teachers. Two years later, on Aug. 22, 1961, son Timothy Adams Jr. was born, deepening their bond with each other. With a new baby and busy careers, it would have been easy for the Adamses to neglect each other, but they set their priorities early on in
