A Colorado man with an answer key to life is remembered by family and friends as a “perfect gentleman” with a passion for academia.
Richard White Adams, of Denver, died at 77 from pancreatic cancer on June 1 after a life dedicated to higher-education admissions testing.
“When God handed out the goodies, he was right at the front of the line,” said longtime friend Marty Segelke of Denver. “They put it all in one package in just a brilliant person.”
Adams got his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, his master’s from the University of Oregon and a Ph.D. from Harvard, all in medieval British literature, before continuing his academic career at Duke University in 1971. Adams was the first African-American professor to be hired at Duke.
“He was so good that they recruited him to go to the educational testing services and help in that area,” Segelke said. “He liked it so much that rather than going back to teaching, he stayed in the testing field.”
In Adams’ early years, he wrote test questions — mainly reading comprehension — for the GRE General Test, the Graduate Management Admission Test and the Law School Admission Test.
He was primarily responsible for developing test preparation materials for the LSAT and then began supervising the development of test material. He was appointed executive director of College Board Test Development in 1992 and executive director of SAT Programs in 1996, and he joined the Law School Admission Council in 1997.
In 2009, Adams made the trek back to Colorado in his retirement where he restored his family home of 60 years in Cherry Hills Village.
“The whole darn family is smart,” Segelke said. “There were a lot of good genes in this family and just very, very dear and kind people.”
Adams’ professional life rested firmly in higher education, but his personal life showcased a well-rounded laundry list of accomplishments including talents in playing piano and saxophone, a fluency in French, an affinity for gardening and an extensive library.
“He had this wonderful sense of humor that was kind of dry,” Segelke said, remembering a funny quest she had with Adams to find the best steakhouse in Denver. “He could crack you up in a second.”
Adams is survived by his niece, Sebrina Brooks (Delvin) and her daughter Sydney; cousins Dr. James T. Williams, Dudley R. Williams, Winona W. Gee and Sandra Rouce; plus numerous other friends and extended family.
A gravesite service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.
Updated June 8, 2016 at 1:47 p.m. The following corrected information has been added to this article: Because of a reporting error, this story has been updated to reflect Adams’ title as professor.
