[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 170 (Wednesday, November 18, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H8285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO A FRIEND, REGINALD ``HATS'' ADAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to 
Mr. Reginald ``Hats'' Adams, a dear friend whom I have known and worked 
with since the late 1960s.
  In 1986, Hats was hired as the chief youth worker at the Mile Square 
Health Center. He had previously worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs 
of Chicago. After having the titles of community liaison and employee 
relations coordinator, he was named director of community affairs at 
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in 1974 and held that 
position which he defined and redefined several times to coincide with 
what he was doing.
  Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center is a large, complex, and 
diverse corporate entity which trains thousands of doctors, nurses, and 
other medical personnel and has an excellent record of patient care.
  Much of Mr. Adams' work involved outreach to the broad community on 
the medical center's behalf. Over the years, he has worked with 
municipal, county, and State entities, while at the same time 
developing and maintaining close ties to grassroots organizations, 
social service agencies, and faith institutions.
  Mr. Adams has always been seriously interested in and involved with 
young people. His youth development work is legendary. He has paid 
special attention to the educational concerns of minority students. As 
a result, Rush sponsors summer work study programs for minority college 
students, summer internships for high school students, and math and 
science enrichment programs for students at more than 60 elementary and 
high schools.
  Through Mr. Adams' efforts, the Science and Math Excellence Network 
was launched in 1991. The network is a coalition of public and private 
organizations working directly with the local schools to improve 
science and math education for elementary students.
  Rush and its corporate partners sponsor after-school science clubs, 
provide judging at local science fairs, offer summer training programs 
for teachers, and sponsor a mobile science lab that visits schools 
without laboratory facilities.
  Each year, the network hosts an awards dinner to recognize the top 
science and math students at participating schools. Since 1991, the 
network also has coordinated the construction of 10 science 
laboratories in local schools, including several specially designed 
facilities for preschool-age children. Mr. Adams served as president of 
the network.
  Notwithstanding his outstanding professional work and civic 
involvement, Mr. Adams has always been endeared to his personal family, 
church, and friends. He was passionate about his family, and at times 
was known to have his own seat staked out at church.
  Mr. Adams was also actively involved in the affirmative action 
activities of the medical center and helped assure that minority 
vendors, contractors, and business interests had access to business 
opportunities at the medical center.
  Hats was a man of great wisdom, courage, and determination, always 
protecting the interests of the medical center but never forgetting the 
community from which he came and was a part of.
  The poet Kipling may have had Hats in mind when he wrote:

       If you can walk with Kings and Queens and not lose the 
     common touch; if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt 
     you; if all men matter with you, but none too much; and 
     finally, if you can give the unforgiven moment with 60 
     seconds' worth of distance run; yours will be the Earth and 
     all that is in it; and what is more, you will be a man, my 
     son.

  Reginald ``Hats'' Adams, what a man. His life is gone, but his legacy 
lives on.

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