Obituary of George L. Adams

George L. Adams, MD, age 73, of Charlotte, NC, died on January 1st, 2016. He was the beloved son of the late Maurice Adams and Muriel Rosenberg Adams, and stepmother Rosita Adams. George was born in Providence, RI, and was raised in Havana, Cuba, which he remembered fondly and where he was a standout baseball player. He earned his B.S. and medical degree, with honors, at Tulane University in New Orleans. He served his internship and residency at UCLA, and was a fellow at Harvard Medical School. After working as a special assistant to the director of NIMH and a surgeon in the US Public Health Service during the Vietnam War, he became a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, where he served as Director of Community and Social Psychiatry programs. He later joined the staff of Dartmouth Medical School as professor of psychiatry, and then worked as a psychiatrist at the Smoky Mountain Mental Health Center in Waynesville, NC, before retiring to Charlotte, NC, to be close to his family. He was a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Psychiatrists, and received the Physicians Recognition Award from the American Medical Association numerous times. George and his wife enjoyed raising champion Skye Terriers, as well as Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, for more than 50 years. He was an automotive enthusiast and collector of fine vintage automobiles. He enjoyed playing tennis and watching classic films, and co-authored a novel about his medical experiences. George is survived by his wife of 53 years, Josie Adams, his daughter, Sainte DeLude of El Segundo, CA, and his son and daughter-in-law Josh and Tracey Adams of Charlotte, NC. He was the adoring Papi of Ines, Abigail and Jessie. Graveside services for George will be held on Monday, January 4th, 2016 at 2pm at the Hebrew Cemetery at 1801 Statesville Ave., Charlotte, NC 28206. Contributions honoring George's memory may be made to Jewish Family Services.