Otto H. Adams was one of the first appointees to the War Memorial
Commission, which was organized in 1946 to plan a coliseum. He served as
a member until the commission was superseded by the Coliseum Board of
Trustees; he was then appointed to this official governing body. In
January, 1954, he was elected president of the board; previously he had
been vice-president and secretary.
The son of William C. and Sophia (Felger) Adams, Otto Adams was born
June 5, 1894, in Allen County, Indiana. After completing secondary
school, he continued his education at the Indiana University Extension
Center in Fort Wayne. For a number of years Mr. Adams was employed by
the Indiana Service Corporation. In 1939 he was named General
Superintendent of City Utilities; and from 1943 to 1947 he served as
City Controller. In 1947 he accepted his present position as controller
at Zollner Machine Works, Incorporated.
The United Commercial Travelers elected Mr. Adams “Man of the Year” in
1952 in recognition of his record of community leadership. An editorial
in the FORT WAYNE NEWS-SENTINEL on February 9, 1953, commented: “The
long-time Fort Wayne civic leader has so many notable facets of
achievement in civic leadership, charitable endeavor, and generally
unselfish service to his credit that it is virtually impossible to
enumerate them all.”
Otto Adams served as chairman of the Allen County Chapter of the
National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis for seven years. He has
served on the directorates of numerous civic organizations, including
the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Allen County Chapter of the
American Red Cross, and the Y.M.C.A. He has held office as president of
the Lakeside Northeast Community Association and as treasurer of the
Anthony Wayne Council of Boy Scouts. He was also a member of the
organizing committee of the United Fund. Long associated with the
Republican party in Fort Wayne, he has been treasurer of the Allen
County Republican Central Committee since 1950.
A veteran of World War I, Otto Adams is active in the American Legion.
He is a Mason and is a member of the Quest Club and the Elks. He attends
the Trinity English Lutheran Church. Mr. Adams is married and is the
father of four children.