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<p><em>Ernest Carl “Ernie” Adams</em> was born June 28, 1947 in Schenectady, NY to Frances and Ruth Adams. His grammar school and high school years were filled with Boy Scouting, baseball, football, and wrestling. Because his father was an avid outdoorsman, Ernie followed in his footsteps and hunted and fished throughout his life. Ernie was an active member of the cadet Outdoor Sportsman Club, Riding Club, and Skeet & Trap Club, refining outdoor skills that prepared him for success in the Army.</p>
<p>Ernie was quite a high school athlete, earning letters in five different sports. His fierce, competitive spirit continued to be demonstrated on West Point’s intramural fields and, after graduation in Germany, on both local soccer teams and in a fast-pitch softball league, where he pitched with a broken hand!</p>
<p>He first visited West Point with his high school football team and knew almost immediately that he wanted to become a cadet. No one from his high school had ever been appointed to the Academy, but Ernie was determined. He became the first West Point graduate from his high school and the pride of Schenectady’s Mohonasen High.</p>
<p>Although his father had fought in World War II, Ernie did not come from a military background, so he had a lot to learn upon his arrival at West Point. Obviously, the physical, academic, emotional, and disciplinary rigor of West Point pushed all cadets to their limits. Consequently, Ernie’s graduation was a momentous achievement for him and for his family. Ernie earned a commission as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. He thanked God many times for allowing him to attend West Point and for permitting him to experience the dramatic impact that his time at West Point had upon his life.</p>
<p>He married his beloved high school sweetheart, Barbara Ann Ferguson, one year after graduation, and they set off to various assignments, including South Korea; Fort Lewis, WA; Fort Benning, GA; Fort Stewart, GA; and Mannheim and Bamberg, Germany (their two favorite locations). They traveled widely and met local people through soccer clubs and through Ernie’s competition in marksmanship tournaments.</p>
<p>Along the way Ernie earned a master’s in business administration from Boston University. Ironically, mathematics at West Point had challenged Ernie. “West Point calculus was not a math class because it contained no numbers,” he observed, “It was a foreign language, like German, both of which nearly sent me home.”</p>
<p>Ernie overcame that challenge and flourished in mathematics. After his Army service, he became a high school mathematics teacher and coached teams for the next 25 years. Upon his retirement, his coaching was honored when every team picked him as their honorary coach.</p>
<p>At first, some of his students may have been intimidated by him, but they quickly learned that this grizzly bear was really a teddy bear at heart, working hard to ensure their success in the classroom and on the athletic field. Even long after he finished teaching, students were thrilled to see him, and many stayed in contact with cards and on social media. Mentoring students was clearly his calling. Ernie Adams practiced leadership every day.</p>
<p>Few knew that Ernie, not one to boast, was a member of Mensa International, the high IQ society, which may help to explain his many talents as a soldier, scholar, athlete, and artist. Ernie was quite accomplished in painting, wood carving and woodworking as hobbies, especially so with his character carvings of cowboys, soldiers, and Santa Clauses.</p>
<p>Ernie and Barbara had two sons, Mike and Matt, and Ernie was so proud of their accomplishments in sports and academics, as well as in becoming great dads to their own sons. Ernie was a great role model, and family remained Ernie’s top priority. </p>
<p>Ernie and Barbara’s sons married two wonderful women, Rebecca and Laura, and Ernie loved these two women as his own daughters. Five grandsons followed: Canaan, Maddox, Merrick, Mason, and Ellery. He loved being with his grandsons, whether it was watching them in sports or in plays or just spending time taking them to Dunkin’ Donuts. They simply filled his heart with joy.</p>
<p>Upon their retirement, Ernie and Barbara traveled frequently and were able to visit five of the seven continents. They planned to visit Africa, but cancer weakened Ernie too much to travel. He was a warrior with much to live for, and he fought the good fight against a very aggressive form of cancer for 19 months.</p>
<p>Ernie had the insight and wisdom to see through the complex and to get to the essence of life, to understand that obstacles are there for a reason; that with God’s help you can overcome them; and that good things follow from dealing with those obstacles. He was a quiet but devout Christian who enjoyed his church friends and attending Sunday School classes. He was particularly moved by his “Walk to Emmaus” experience and by following Jesus’s ministry steps during his visit to Israel. In the waning days of this life, Ernie was at peace with God and with his impending passing; he was blessed to pass with Barbara at his side.</p>
<p>He will be missed by his family and by his many friends who will remember his kind heart, as demonstrated by his willingness to share and his caring for others.</p>
<p><em>— Family and Friends</em></p>
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