[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 10, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1906-E1907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO HOOVER ADAMS, HARNETT COUNTY LEADER

                                 ______


                         HON. DAVID FUNDERBURK

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 10, 1995

  Mr. FUNDERBURK. Mr. Speaker, probably no one had done more to put 
Harnett County, NC, on the map than Mr. Hoover Adams, civic leader and 
newspaper publisher. Mr. Hoover Adams of Dunn, NC, and his wife 
Mellicent Stalder Adams originally of Salem, NE, last month celebrated 
their 50th wedding anniversary. The celebratory dinner and receptions 
that surrounded the 50th wedding anniversary very clearly evidenced the 
high esteem in which the Hoover Adams family is held locally, 
nationally, and even internationally.
  In the days around September 2, 1995, events held in Dunn, NC, 
honoring the Hoover Adams couple and family were attended by locals 
from all walks of life as well as dignitaries from all over. The 
Ambassador from the Ukraine, Dr. Scherbak, and his wife, traveled from 
Washington to honor the Adams family. U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, 
Congressman David Funderburk, U.S. Ambassador to Barbados Jeanette 
Hyde, North Carolina Secretary of State Rufus Edmisten, and a personal 
representative of the Governor, George McCotter. Mr. Adams was 
presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Mr. McCotter. Mayors, 
sheriffs, superintendents, town council members, company and bank 
presidents, and many other officials and community leaders were present 
at a reception whose line continued for hours.
  At a smaller dinner attended by some of the best and closest friends 
of the Hoover Adams family such as Mr. Jesse Alphin, Mr. Graham Henry, 
and Mr. John Wellons, longtime acquaintances gave glowing tribute to 
the couple for their contributions to the city of Dunn, the county of 
Harnett, and the State of North Carolina. Most telling and moving were 
the tributes given by the children of the Hoover Adamses. The fact that 
Brent, Bart, and Maere Kay spoke so highly of their parents speaks 
volumes about the close-knit family and its values. Hoover and 
Mellicent also have six lovely grandchildren.
  The Raleigh News and Observer and other newspapers have highlighted 
the fact that Mr. Hoover Adams has been a political power in his own 
right and has been a friend of many high-ranking officeholders. He 
served as press consultant and campaign aide to former U.S. Senator 
Robert Morgan, who also paid tribute to Mr. Adams, and as a delegate at 
the 1968 and 1972 Democratic National Conventions. Mr. Hoover Adams has 
been actively involved in policies and has always been a conservative 
Democrat.
  He has been a world traveler par excellence, visiting and reporting 
on dozens of countries on several continents. It has helped inform and 
educate the citizens of Harnett County and North Carolina about other 
places near and far. I had the pleasure of traveling with Mr. Adams to 
Bucharest, Romania in November 1994, and witnessing first-hand his 
travel skills as a gentleman and observer.

  Perhaps most notable have been the extraordinary contributions of 
this special couple and family to Dunn and Harnett County, North 
Carolina. An indefatigable promoter of his city and county, Mr. Hoover 
Adams has made a major impact during the past 50-plus years.
  He was born in Dunn on March 6, 1920, the son of Alexander Benton 
Adams and Lou Flora Morgan Adams. In 1937 he graduated from Dunn High 
School, and later attended Officer Candidate School in the U.S. Army. 
He served during World War II in the European Theater of Operations as 
an aide to Major General William C. Lee, also a Dunn native, who was 
the founder of America's Airborne Army. He also served in London, 
England, and in Indianapolis, IN and completed military service as a 
captain--serving at one time as assistant public relations director of 
the Troop Carrier Command.
  Mr. Hoover Adams with the help, support and love of his wife, 
achieved something quite remarkable by founding a daily newspaper that 
has lasted 45 years to date, the first edition being published on 
December 6, 1950. He founded the Daily Record with hard work, long 
hours, and little money, but with a determination not to give up and 
not to fail. He was not given much of a chance by others in the 
industry. In 1978, he bought a competing daily newspaper called the 
Dunn Dispatch. Today the Daily Record is one of only about 400 
independently owned daily newspapers in America. It also publishes the 
Central Carolina Consumer, the Harnett County News, and the Angier 
Independent.
  Few individuals can match the civic involvement and contributions of 
Hoover Adams. He helped reactivate the Dunn Chamber of Commerce after 
World War II, served as president of the chamber, and was named Man of 
the Year by the chamber. He was also a founder of the Junior Chamber of 
Commerce. He served as president of the Dunn Rotary Club longer than 
any other member. He also served as a chairman of the local board of 
the Raleigh Federal Savings Bank, and for over 20 years as a member of 
the local board of NationsBank, formerly NCNB. For 20 years he was the 
chairman of the board of Eastern Carolina Regional Housing Authority of 
Goldsboro. He served virtually every charitable fundraising 
organization in the county including the Red Cross, the American Cancer 
Society, the Heart Fund, the Boy Scouts, and the Girl Scouts.
  His interest in local educational and religious institutions 
reflected his strong religious faith. He is a member of the board of 
trustees of Heritage Bible College, member of the presidential board of 
advisors of Campbell University, and former Deacon of Hood Memorial 
Christian Church. A nondrinker, he served as chairman of the Dunn ABC 
board. He is a 32d-degree Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite and 
Dunn Shrine Club.
  Perhaps one of his favorite projects was the General William C. Lee 
Airborne Museum which he helped found and now serves as president. He 
has been the driving force behind the General Lee Commission which 
sponsors an annual citywide celebration attracting major political and 
military figures from across the country. The General William Lee 

[[Page E 1907]]
Museum is perhaps Dunn's most famous landmark and was certainly a major 
factor in Dunn being named an All-America City.
  As one who started his newspaper career while still in high school 
writing Boy Scout news for E.C. Daniel, Jr.--who later married Margaret 
Truman--it is fitting that on November 2, 1995, Mr. Adams will be given 
a high honor by the Boy Scouts of America. So I am happy to pay tribute 
to an outstanding American and a great son of Dunn and Harnett County 
and North Carolina: Mr. Hoover Adams who always credits ``the Lord and 
my friends'' for his success.

                          ____________________