Memorial Tributes Volume 13 (2010) / Chapter Skim
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LAURENCE J. ADAMS
LAURENCE J. ADAMS
Pages 14-21
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Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 14 3/23/10 3:42:03 PM
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Fortunately, most of his later career challenges were considerably less risky than landing a Grumman Avenger onto the heaving deck of a relatively small ship guided by just a few handheld torches. After completing his active military service in 1946, Larry learned that he could apply his service credits toward a degree in aeronautical engineering at the University of Minnesota.
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He quickly advanced from program manager for the Titan II to technical director for the Titan III, IIIA and IIIC space launch systems, and program director for the Titan IIIM. In 1965, Larry was promoted to director of engineering for the Denver division of the company and, over the next few years, was responsible for leading the teams that developed, for example, the multiple docking adapter for NASA's Skylab, the Viking Mars Lander, and the engineering integration tasks Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 16 3/23/10 3:42:04 PM
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. and then for promptly fixing them to achieve "mission success." Larry's quiet managerial style, incredible technical and organizational competence, and string of successful major projects, made him the logical choice to become the next president of the aerospace division of the company, which, by 1976, had become the Martin Marietta Corporation, a diversified, multibillion dollar conglomerate, with major businesses in aerospace, cement, aggregates, dyestuffs, metals and, by virtue of its management responsibilities for the Oak Ridge National Laboratories, nuclear energy.
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William Harwood describes this situation beautifully as follows: "If you were casting in Hollywood, you couldn't find a more convincing model of a corporate chief operating officer than the silver haired, square-jawed Adams. His straight-arrow, deliberate approach conveyed the confidence the bankers were looking for; obviously, there was a firm hand on the day- to- day control of Martin Marietta's businesses." After the Bendix confrontation, Larry was promoted to president and COO of the corporation and, working with Pownall and other senior staff, helped the company to divest most of its commercial operations, and to refocus its energy on its roots in aerospace, electronics and information systems, thereby setting in place the basis for its current reputation as a world leader in these areas of technology.
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Among them, he was elected president and Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and was a three time recipient of NASA's Public Service Medal for his contributions to the Viking Mars Lander Program, the Titan Centaur Launch Vehicle, and the Titan III program. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Security Industrial Association, of the National Conference on the Strategic Management of Research and Development, and of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education.
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Larry Adams is survived by his wife, Marguerite "Peggy" Adams of Potomac, Maryland; five children, Stephen Adams of Aurora, Colorado; Michael Adams of Potomac, Maryland; Mary Louis Sterge of Malvern, Pennsylvania; Teresa Hayes of Collegeville, Pennsylvania; Susan Adams of Gaithersburg, Maryland; and seven grandchildren. Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 20 3/23/10 3:42:04 PM
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Final Tribute Vol 13.indd 21 3/23/10 3:42:04 PM
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