Barry Adams, former vice provost and literature scholar, dies at 89

Barry Banfield Adams, professor of literatures of English emeritus in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), died Dec. 31 at home in Brooktondale, New York. He was 89.

A distinguished scholar of the humanities with a deep commitment to undergraduate education, Adams was a member of the English faculty for 38 years; his academic focus was Medieval and Renaissance drama.

At Cornell, Adams served as vice provost from 1984-87 and in other administrative roles, including chair of the Department of English and chair of the University Faculty Library Board. In 1992, Adams helped establish the Religious Studies program at Cornell.

Known for his fairness, diplomacy and advocacy, Adams contributed to Cornell and to the surrounding local communities long after his retirement in 2000 through teaching, helping others and supporting the arts.

"Barry Adams was one of Ithaca and Cornell's great citizens," said Kenneth McClane, the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of Literature Emeritus (A&S). "Never flashy, self-absorbed or self-serving, Barry was always involved in making things better, be it at the university where he served in many administrative functions or in Ithaca, in retirement, where he taught courses on Shakespeare and worked tirelessly wherever good thinking and good stewardship was needed."

"We are deeply grateful for the contributions of Professor Emeritus Adams during his tenure as departmental chair and vice provost for undergraduate studies," said Eve De Rosa, dean of faculty and Mibs Martin Follett Professor in Human Ecology. "His dedication and willingness to lead have left a lasting impact on our academic community."

Michael Colacurcio, formerly a Cornell faculty member now on the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the English department flourished under Adams' leadership as chair.

"Authority had chosen one of the most decent, honest and open-minded persons I had ever known," Colacurcio said. "Though a deeply committed historicist himself, he could be counted on to be fair to the various competing interests in a growing and diversified department."

"Barry was a wonderful colleague, dedicated in his service to the department and the university, and to his students," said Jonathan Culler, the Class of 1916 Professor of English Emeritus (A&S). "A genial, modest and generous man, he also took on important roles in local charitable organizations in Ithaca and Brooktondale. He will be greatly missed."

Andrew Galloway, the James John Professor of Medieval Studies (A&S), remembered Adams as "a quietly mirthful figure, always ready to notice an oddly funny word or situation, always supportive of young faculty, and dedicated to meticulous historical, especially linguistic, scholarship in Renaissance literature."

Adams' scholarly essays on Medieval and Renaissance drama appeared in many professional journals, and he was a contributor to a volume titled "Teaching Shakespeare." He was a dedicated teacher, regularly directing honors students above and beyond regular teaching, Galloway said.

Adams created many interviews with notable Cornell faculty and other staff, available on Cornell eCommons, resulting in a collection of great archival importance, McClane said.

Roger Gilbert, professor of English (A&S), was one of the people Adams interviewed on video, focusing on the late poet and Cornell faculty member Archie Ammons.

"When we did the interview, Barry mentioned how pleased he was that Archie Ammons incorporated a little administrative note from him in one of his poems, 'Summer Session,'" Gilbert said. "He was one of several Cornell colleagues who made cameos in Ammons poems."

"These interviews are delightful reminders not only of his remarkable interviewees but also of his witty and curious mind - as usual, devoted to finding out about others rather than displaying himself," Galloway said.

Barry Adams was born in 1935 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. After graduating from Boston Latin School and Boston College, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1963. While at Chapel Hill, Adams met Margaret (Molly) Bradshaw; they married in 1962. After Adams completed his degree, they moved from Chapel Hill to the Ithaca area, where Barry began teaching English at Cornell.

In 1976, Boston College awarded Adams a Presidential Bicentennial Award for personal dedication, excellence and service.

He retired in 2000 with emeritus status and continued to serve Cornell in many ways, from volunteering at New Student Orientation to facilitating the oral history interviews for the Cornell archive.

Also in retirement, Adams did volunteer work with the Brooktondale Community Center board, Gadabout, the Red Cross and other organizations. He was recognized for outstanding volunteer contributions by the New York State Office for the Aging in 2018.

A regular attendee of local theater and music, Adams was instrumental in bringing "The Met: Live in HD" livestream broadcasts of Metropolitan Opera performances to Ithaca Regal Cinema.

Adams brought his scholarly background to continuing education at Lifelong in Ithaca, developing popular classes on opera, Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan, and other topics. He recently was planning a new class for the spring semester.

Adams was predeceased by his wife, Molly. He is survived by daughters Emily Adams of Brooktondale and Katie Adams of Port Orchard, Washington; five grandchildren; and many other family members.

A funeral mass will be held on Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. in Cornell's Anabel Taylor Chapel.

Kate Blackwood is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.

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