Page:The National Cyclopedia of the Colored Race (1919).djvu/23

OSCAR WILLIAM ADAMS

MONG the enterprising young men who threw their weight into mak ing the Negro Birmingham a suc cess, none has fought harder or more creditably than Oscar W Adams. On graduating from Normal A. and M. College, Normal, Ala., Mr. Adams cast his lot with "The Birmingham Report er," now without question the leading Negro News paper of Alabama. For a number of years he liv ed out pretty faithfully the advice of Horace Gree- ley to the young aspirants to Journalism "to sleep on paper and eat ink." But in time the paper came into Mr. Adams' possession, and the struggle was even more bitter, if possible. Business did not hum in Brmingham then as now and so his sub scribers were few and his advertisers small, and uncertain, and payment for both subscriptions and advertisements very slow in coming in.

To keep the paper alive, Mr. Adams gave up his lodgings and slept in the office on a lounge. He ate a full meal whenever he could afford to do so.

"But, " says he, "I always paid my helpers. I didn't think it right to keep them waiting. It was none of their affair if the paper failed." However, the Reporter is on its feet today. It has passed through the day of test for twelve years, and Negro paper that survives the test that length of time can be said to be fully established.

Of course, Mr. Adams had been thoroughly schooled for the struggle with The Reporter, and from this schooling one would expect nothing but victory to the end. Mr. Adams was born in Gulf Crest, one time known as Beaver Meadow, a community about 25 miles out of Mobile. He attended the district school to the 8th grade and then made his way to Normal, Alabama, to the A. and M. College. To make his way through school, both in public school and for the first year in College, Mr. Adams worked as a laborer on a turpentine farm. During his life in College he served now as agent in the Commissary, now as the assistant bookkeeper and finally as the Editor of the Normal Index, the official paper of the Normal College. Going through so many experiences and coming out of each successful, Mr. Adams built the character which has stood him in such good stead as editor of The Reporter, as a business man, and a leader in the fraternal orders.

Mr. Adams is most loyal, even enthusiastic fraternity man. As has already been stated, his paper is the official organ of the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, and Masonic Order of Alabama. He holds membership also in the Masonic Lodge, in the Elks, in the K. L. of H., and in the Mosaic Templars. He is Secretary of the United Brothers of Friendship, as well as its spokesman in his journal.

Second only to his interest in his journal is Mr. Adams' interest in education. He is present at all educational gatherings he can reach and gives freely space in his paper to the reports upon all schools and school work, both in the city and in the state. He is very loyal to Normal, not only because this is his Alma Mater, but because he really knows what it means for most of our boys and girls to secure even a fair education, an education rising but little above the three R's.

Oscar W. Adams, though a young man, has filled some of the most important speaking engagements of any member of his race. He is a man of rare quality in this special line of work. He is a student of history and his delivery is easy and pleasant. At present he is Chairman of the Four Minute Men Speakers of the State of Alabama, direct ed by the United States Government, and is a member of the State Committee on War Savings Certificates. He has, no doubt, appeared before more audiences in the past five years than any man in the race of his age.

Mr. Adams was married to Miss Mamie Tuggle in 1910. The happy union, happy in sympathy and co-operation as well as in affection, for both were very hard workers, lasted but five years, Mrs. Adams dying in 1915. He lives now for his paper, for his school, for his lodge and for Negro enterprise in every direction.

17