A Tribute to Howard Adams

In the 20 years I worked at Prudential, I met a lot of different kinds of people but none of them made the impression on me that Howard Adams did. Howard was a pricer in the Guaranteed Products division, where I spent 14 of those 20 years. When I joined the unit, Howard was already an experienced pricer and a well known personality. I worked with him as a colleague and when I ran the Group Annuity pricing unit, he was one of my reports.

Howard was larger than life, in both size and personality. He stood about 6 feet and weighted over 250 pounds. He had immense broad shoulders and a barrel chest supported by a trim waist and slim lower body - the physique of a superhero. He also sported a "mountain man" beard which gave him the look of one tough hombre. His physical appearance was just a reflection though, of the strength of his personality.

Howard was a first rate pricer - very good with finance and a quick study. He was bold and outgoing, relishing the chance to win a large deal. And we won many of them in those years. He had a great sense of humor - off color and politically incorrect but razor sharp. He was a magnet for anyone who enjoyed an irreverent, down-to-earth world view. And he was always at the center of any good social outing with the crew from Pru.

Unfortunately, Howard was diagnosed with skin cancer at around the age of thirty. He worked through it and had several periods where it seemed to fall into the background before a recurrence. He passed away about 10 years ago after fighting it for 7 or 8 years. His death was a great loss to all of us who knew him and worked with him. He left behind a wife and two young children.

I have thought of Howard often over the years. He was, for me, a great example of a man who worked hard, enjoyed life, maintained his sense of humor and had a strong sense of both his own independence and the value of good teamwork. I carry with me many memories of the conversations I had with Howard about family and work, winning and losing, risk and reward and sometimes just the joy of a good wise-ass remark!

After my diagnosis, I have often thought about the strength and grace Howard displayed during those tough years, particularly at the end, when cancer got the best of him. We talked more during those times about his treatment and the effects it had on his family life. The way Howard handled himself in those final years has become a role model for me.

Yesterday, the Star Ledger printed a great story about Mike Adams, the new 23-year-old Varsity football coach at Parsippany High School and the difference he is making there. Mike is Howard's son. The picture above is from the article and Mike is the image of his father. From the article, it is clear that Mike has developed many of the great traits of his Dad. I can only imagine how proud Howard would be if he was here to see it. Mike is the best tribute to Howard that there could be.

The Star Ledger article is at
http://blog.nj.com/hssportsextra/2010/09/behind_23-year_old_head_coach.html