By Jim Carter
Special to The Star-Herald
I have enjoyed reading Dick Graves’ articles on basketball and thrilled that he has asked me to write a column. I was born, lived and educated in Presque Isle, graduating in 1964. While attending PIHS, I had the opportunity to play baseball and basketball. I was fortunate to have two exceptional coaches in Jim Dyer and Dana Hews, respectively. After attending Husson College, I began my teaching and coaching career in Caribou. I coached six years of girls’ cross-country, 10 years of baseball and 21 years of basketball. My basketball coaching experience included five years at the eighth-grade level, 12 years as the varsity boys’ assistant coach, and four years as head coach. I had the opportunity to coach under Gerry Duffy and Jeff Holmes. It was a chance to become well educated about the game of basketball and its history. I have observed many great teams and players the last 45 years.
Photo courtesy of Jim Carter
FRED “HERKY” ADAMS was a graduate of the Presque Isle High School Class of 1947. He was an outstanding athlete and played varsity basketball for three years, varsity baseball for three years, and track for one year. Adams was killed in a tragic automobile accident at the age of 19 while returning from a dance in Easton.
Years ago, an imposing trophy graced the trophy case at Presque Isle High School. It was three and-a-half to four-feet tall, assuming the form of a cup with handles on each side, mounted on a large wooden base. On the base were attached metal tags with space for engraving. Approximately 15 to 18 years ago, the cup fell into disrepair and disappeared. Recently, former graduates have inquired about the trophy. What was its purpose? How did it disappear? Who was Herky Adams?
Being a 1964 graduate of Presque Isle High School, I do remember the trophy vividly and its place in the case. The sentry-like trophy was located in the case on the left side of the corridor as students passed the main office upon entering the building.
Fred Adams (nickname Herky) was a graduate of the class of 1947. He was an outstanding athlete and played varsity basketball for three years, varsity baseball three years, and track one year. He was a member of the varsity club for two years, a homeroom president three years, and member of the student council four years. Herky was also an honor student during his tenure at PIHS.
The following quotation appeared in a 1948 edition of The Star-Herald. “He was recognized as one of the promising young men of the city; Herky claimed a host of friends with his modest mannerism and ready smile. He was the type of athlete who readily won the support of all those who watched him perform in basketball and baseball. Captain of the Presque Isle High School hoop squad his senior year, he was considered a gamer. He was to be remembered as one of the greatest floor men to ever wear a Wildcat uniform. His senior year he was voted to the County All-Star team and was also voted the Most Valuable Player in the Aroostook League.”
A quote from the Bangor Daily News in January of 1947 after Adams had led Presque Isle to a victory over Bangor at the old Bangor Auditorium stated, “Presque Isle was spearheaded by Adams who is as good as ball-handler, scorer and defensive player that the auditorium has seen in many a moon.”
He was an honor student in high school and college and was one of the most popular students in his class. He led his team to an 18-4 record his senior year and to the semi-finals of the Eastern Maine Tournament. Herky was an excellent shooter, ball-handler, passer and outstanding floor general. He had great competitive spirit and basketball knowledge. His goal after high school was to become an engineer.
He excelled in baseball as he did in basketball, and his well-mannered actions on the diamond marked him as a sportsman who had a tremendous love for sports. He had just completed a successful baseball season as a member of the semi-pro Presque Isle Indians championship club as a pitcher and outfielder. Regardless of his assignment on the athletic field, Herky was game right down the line and usually came through in the clutch to aid the cause of his teammates.
As a sophomore at the University of Maine, he was held in high esteem by athletic officials at Orono who had watched his basketball prowess during the Eastern Maine high school play-offs and during his freshman year at the University Brunswick Annex. Herky would have worn the varsity Pale Blue as gallantly and proudly as he wore the Presque Isle colors.
Herky Adams was killed in a tragic automobile accident at the age of 19 while returning from a dance at the Pine Tree in Easton. Adams and two other young men had asked for a ride back to Presque Isle with two individuals from Guilford. Approximately 5 miles from Presque Isle, the vehicle failed to negotiate a sharp turn near the Ed Hews farm and crashed head-on into a tree. It was determined that the vehicle was traveling at an excessive rate of speed and the driver was to be charged with manslaughter. Four of the five were injured, but Adams was the only fatality.
Burt Brown was a classmate of Herky and a Presque Isle businessman and provided information about the trophy. The Herky Adams Trophy was purchased in the fall of 1948 as a result of the donations of over 200 Presque Isle sports fans. They decided to honor Herky’s memory with the trophy that would be placed in the PIHS trophy case. Eleanor Cyr and Cliff Beckwith, who were in charge of the collection, purchased the memorial trophy. An athlete or athletes would be honored each year if they met the criteria of the award: a very good athlete and good student. Later, a citizenship requirement would become part of the criteria. Initially the athlete had to be a basketball player because Herky excelled at that sport along with baseball. The first three years that the trophy graced the case, names had not been added. During the 1952-53 school year, the student council assumed the initiative to form a committee that would develop the rules and regulations governing whose names shall be placed on the trophy. This committee included Milton Daggett as chairman, Bill Hanscom, Keith Thompson, Miss Avis Lamoreau and Jim Dyer. The committee would probably also handle the selection of names to be placed on the trophy. In the early years, the award was held in great esteem. A committee met to determine whether an athlete would be selected each year. It seemed that interest waned in the later years, and Mr. Brown recalls meeting with Frank Keenan to determine honorees.
As the years passed, the trophy needed repair, and Mr. Brown had it removed and reconditioned. Approximately 15 years ago when the trophy was being cleaned, an inappropriate cleaner was used and the cup was ruined beyond repair. Efforts to restore the trophy were futile, and a plaque containing the names of the Herky Adams’ recipients was completed and placed on display in the PIHS gym lobby.
The plaque has not been on display for the last several years and its whereabouts was unknown. Thanks to Dave Heald, athletic director at Presque Isle High School, the Herky Adams Memorial Award that replaced the original cup was found in storage at PIHS. The walnut plaque has been refinished and the Presque Isle Athletic Boosters purchased new brass nametags to replace the old ones. Hopefully, once again it will proudly be on display at PIHS.
The following outstanding student/athletes were selected to have their names engraved on this award: 1953 – Dana Shaw, 1958 – Eugene Fitzgerald, 1959 – Roland Duprey, 1961 – Bob Duprey, Harry Buzzell, Wayne Hartford, Steve Smith, and Tom Cockcroft; 1965 – Byron (Barney) Smith, 1966 – Bill Glidden, 1968 – Mike Sponberg, 1969 – Rick Carter, Dan Keegan, and Dave Porter; 1970 – Andy Packard, 1972 – Chuck Hilsabeck and Bill Smith, 1976 – Scott Carlin, 1988 – Darren Knight, 1989 – Tom Rice, 1990 – Kevin Young.
Thanks to the folks at the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library and some of Herky Adams’ classmates for their help with my research.
Next week’s article will be the reflections of a former star-athlete from PIHS and what the Herky Adams trophy meant to him.
Photo courtesy of Jim Carter
THE HERKY ADAMS TROPHY, named in honor of Fred “Herky” Adams, an outstanding Presque Isle High School student athlete, has since been ruined beyond repair and replaced with a walnut plaque that has been refinished. The award is meant to recognize student athletes who excelled in both arenas.
