Charles Adams

Charles Ross Adams left us peacefully to be with his Lord on September 10. Born to Charles and Clorine Adams in Logansport, LA, in 1928, Ross was the oldest of four children. His brothers Lewis and Travis preceded him in death.

Ross graduated as valedictorian from Warren High School in south Arkansas. From there he went to Arkansas Polytechnic College (now Arkansas Tech University) in Russellville, receiving his AA degree in 1949. (Decades later, he was elected to the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction.) Needing a salary after graduating, he worked for a year at Tech as the head of the newly formed Public Information Office, after which he enrolled at the University of Missouri and received his BA and MA in journalism. He completed his oral exam one morning in June of 1951 in Columbia and was sworn in to the US Army the same evening in St. Louis. A year later he was commissioned a second lieutenant and spent the next two years at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri, making big improvements to the Public Information Office there and earning a special Army Commendation for merit.

Ross joined the Portland Cement Association, a trade association for the cement industry based in Chicago, as a writer in the Public Relations Bureau in late 1954. There, he met Rita, a secretary to the treasurer. They married in October of 1956 and on their honeymoon moved to Los Angeles, where Ross became the district PR director of the new office. After a few years in an apartment in Los Angeles, they settled in Glendale and made it their home. They raised two sons, Matt and Marty, and were very involved in the local schools throughout their sons’ education.

Ross became active in many cement industry groups and public relations professional groups, serving as president of several of them. He wrote about and photographed many outstanding concrete construction projects in southern California, including Dodger Stadium, the Forum, the state aqueduct system, interstate highways and bridges, dams, and several large original attractions at Disneyland, including the Matterhorn.

Ross believed strongly in community service and joined the Northwest Glendale Lions Club in 1967. He was president of the club twice and became the somewhat perpetual Club Secretary. He served as District Governor after his retirement and as an officiant for many Lions Clubs throughout California. He was heavily involved with the Lions Rose Parade float program since just after its inception over 30 years ago, an annual event that required all-year planning. He and Rita attended nine Lions international conventions, visiting Seoul, Montreal, Mexico City, and Honolulu, among other destinations. Ross received numerous prestigious awards from the Lions for his service, and his fellow Lions were among his closest friends.

Ross loved sports, particularly football. He could tell you the mascot of just about any college in the country, and probably its school colors as well. He started collecting stamps when he was 10, and specialized in US, Canadian, and French stamps. He also collected coins. He and Rita were always there to support their boys, and later, their grandchildren, in their school and athletic activities.

Ross is survived by his sister Dean Bull of Weiser, Idaho, sons Matt (Kathy) of Dallas and Marty (Julie) of Burbank, grandson Erich King (Roxy) of Burbank and granddaughter Jessie Wallace (Connor) of Big Sandy, Texas, great-grandchildren Brixton, Elliana, and Colton, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Ross grew up a Southern Baptist and considered a life in ministry when he was younger. But he decided that he could better serve the church as an active layman. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles since 1956, headed several groups within that church over the years, and served on the Baptist Service Corporation until his death. He also fully supported Rita’s Catholic church choir activities and welcomed the choir in their home for rehearsals and other get-togethers going back several decades. In later years he attended Incarnation Catholic Church with her and for the past decade became part of that parish family. In his memory, donations may be made to the Lions Club International Foundation (https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/donate) or the Parkinson Voice Project (in Richardson, Texas).