John Adams

JOHN ARTHUR ADAMS 93, of Indianapolis, passed away on March 25, 2015. Primarily a lifelong resident, he was born July 30, 1921 to Carl Stanley Adams, Sr. & Caroline Anne "Lena" (Piel) Adams. He graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1939. His working career started during his junior & senior years in high school by opening Jenner's Drug store between 7-9 a.m. Doc Jenner insisted John get his social security card, which is dated in December, 1936. After high school he worked at Kingan's Meat Packing, where a wheeled pallet of hams rolled over his right foot, permanently damaging it. After WWII he spent a couple of years in Los Angeles as a busboy in a restaurant. After returning to Indianapolis he joined the Indianapolis Police Department in 1949 for a couple of years. Then he held a variety of jobs which included being a business forms salesman, dry cleaning/pick-up delivery-man, and a bartender for Sol Mordoh's bar downtown. He was then employed by the International Harvester Foundry, where he was a Trustee for UAW Local 226, retiring in 1981. During his retirement years he worked security in the Barnes & Thornberg building at Meridian & Washington Streets. John served in the US Army Air Corps 2511th Army Air Forces Base Unit from September 1942 to February 1946. He was first stationed at Liberal, KS, where B-24's were manufactured, working as a radioman and spotter in the control tower identifying the plane's number on its tail. He filled in on a number of practice training flights as a radioman including a cross country from Liberal, with stops in Tennessee, Florida, New York, Cleveland, Chicago, then back to Liberal. Another time a Captain had him join on an AT-6 flight where he took the plane straight up in the air and then straight down at 300 miles an hour before pulling it back into a normal flight pattern. John was then transferred to Bryan Air Field in Bryan, TX. Due to John's foot injury, he was put on limited service which exempted him from formations and KP duties. However, he did routinely get latrine duty. While at Bryan he was assigned to PT teaching swimming & wrestling attaining the rank of Corporal. The important aspect of teaching swimming was how to get into a small raft if the airplane had to ditch over water. Due to the proximity to the Gulf of Mexico all soldiers had to learn to fire a rifle where he obtained a Marksman rating. In addition, servicemen while in uniform could watch the Texas A&M football games for free on the College Station campus. Otherwise the soldiers made the 90 mile trip to Houston for weekend liberty. John won the post wrestling title two years in a row. He was part of the base wrestling team participating in an AAU Tournament in New Orleans that included universities & military bases from a large section of southeast U.S. His base took two firsts and two seconds in competition. John's contribution was second place in his weight class. John had a lifelong love of vegetable gardening which started with the family's home garden and was further enhanced by Tech's agriculture classes. His hobbies included playing bridge, bowling, taking art classes from Art League, accounting & speech classes at Indiana Central College (now University of Indianapolis), and playing snare drum for Sahara Grotto's drum line (taking drum lessons from Jack Gilfoy who had toured with Henry Mancini). He enjoyed ballroom dancing, especially the big band era music, and even taught some ballroom dancing while on a cruise. He made several cruises thru the Panama Canal and also one to Bermuda. In later life he also took up square and round dancing. He had been active in wrestling, judo & karate. Also he competed in various Senior Track & Field events, most recently in the Shot Put in 2004, where he took a bronze medal in his age bracket.Memberships included over 50 years as a Master Mason from Southport Lodge 270 and the Scottish Rite. He joined the Millersville Chapter 300 Order of the Eastern Star in 2008. He was President of Continental Dance Club in 1979 and President of Mallory Toastmaster Club in 1980 in addition to participating in several other Toastmaster Clubs. John was preceded in death by his parents; siblings: Carl Stanley, Jr., Grace Thelma (Adams) Barr & George Wilber; niece Jennifer (Adams) Hunt; & wives: Dorotha "Dottie" (Neiger) Adams & Georgeana (Kratochvil) Adams. He is survived by his wife, Caroline Derbin Adams, nieces: JoAn Cline (Florida) & Joyce "Bobbie" Curts (Greenfield, IN) and nephews: John Stanley Adams (Carmel, IN), George "Steve" Adams of California & Simon Morse (Greenwood, IN). Visitation from 11a.m. – 1p.m. for family and friends with a Masonic and Eastern Star memorial service at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2015, Flanner and Buchanan-Broad Ripple, 1305 E. Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220 to be followed by burial at Anderson Cemetery, 6500 E. 10th St., Indianapolis, IN. Memorial contributions in John's name may be made to the Wheeler Mission or local Salvation Army.