Date: 2015-11-18
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: 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 RushPresbyterianSt. Lukes Medical Center in 1974 and held that position which he defined and redefined several times to coincide with what he was doing. RushPresbyterianSt. Lukes 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 centers 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 afterschool 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 preschoolage 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.