Adam's gift to ASME Foundation contributes to longevity of profession

Maxine Rosen
ASME Operations

Because the mechanical engineering profession evolves continuously, neither the need nor the desire among engineers to support its advancement ever ends. Jim Adam fulfilled both the need and his desire to support the advancement of the profession in July with a $100,000 gift to the ASME Foundation.

The gift put him in the Silver Membership level of the Foundation's Archimedes Club, of which Adam is a founding member.

Jim Adam

The club was started in July as a major component of the foundation's Planned Giving Program. The program is a new foundation initiative that allows donors to apply their resources to their charitable goals while receiving financial benefits.

"I am supporting the Planned Giving Program," Adam told ASME NEWS, "because, like many retirees, I must live on earnings generated by the savings I accumulated during my career. Assuming good investment management, I hope to be able to preserve most of the savings in order to maintain the annual earnings at the level my wife and I will need during our lifetime. Afterwards, the issue becomes: you can't take it with you. A planned gift to the ASME Foundation is an ideal answer to the dilemma of needing to preserve the capital while you live, but not being able to take it with you when you die."

On Nov. 17 in Washington, D.C., during the ASME Congress, those who are taking the lead by leaving a legacy to the Foundation will be welcomed into the Archimedes Club. The club is open to all friends of the ASME Foundation who make a planned gift, as Adam has done. Information about the Club and how planned giving works can be found at foundation.asme.org.

As Adam's sees it, "Engineers in the 21st century will continue to be innovators of the physical environment serving the continued advancement of civilization. The need for the fulfillment of this role never ends," he explained. "New knowledge will be applied and more advanced ways of doing things and even of thinking can be expected," he continued. "The ASME Foundation will have the opportunity to award grants for many projects that will aid the dissemination of knowledge and further the evolution of the profession."

Adam's efforts to support the future of mechanical engineering have been going on for a while. A longtime advocate for the mechanical engineering profession, he chaired ASME's Capital Campaign in 1996-97. Nearly $6 million for the ASME Foundation was raised. At the time Adam was also CEO and chairman of the board at Black & Veatch. The company made a significant gift to launch the campaign, which realized nearly twice its goal. The resulting endowment has been funding innovative programs since 1998.

Adam currently serves as a director of the Foundation, which initiated a Planned Giving Program this year for the benefit of ASME members. His personal gift, in the form of a codicil to his will, shows just how close to home is his commitment to the profession.

"My gift to the Foundation," he said, "is unrestricted and intended for the furtherance of the profession of mechanical engineering as the directors and trustees (of the Foundation) see fit."

For the past 24 years, Adam's home has been a 60-acre farm in the suburbs of Kansas City where "there is always plenty of work for my wife Barbara and me looking after her gardens and various livestock including horses and cattle." Barbara and Jim Adam have been married for 47 years and have three sons and nine grandchildren ranging in age from 3 to 14.

Adam was known throughout his career for his outstanding management and technical abilities in the power industry. He demonstrated technical leadership in the innovative design of power plant systems, then used this solid engineering platform to lead Black & Veatch from a Midwestern consulting firm to one of the world's largest providers of infrastructures. The firm's success was the result of Adam's direction in the development of information management systems, strategic mergers and effective marketing strategies.

"I have always understood the power of ideas," Adam said, "and actively encouraged the professionals of Black & Veatch to be innovative because I knew that to succeed, we at Black & Veatch needed to continuously improve our quality and efficiency while aligning our services and the way in which we delivered them with the ever changing needs of our clients. These could only be done if change were actively encouraged; thus the emphasis on being open to new ideas," he said.

The power of new ideas is also at work at the ASME Foundation.

Asked why he decided to become an engineer, Adam explained, "I suspect I chose engineering as a career, because my grandfather was a civil engineer, who designed and built bridges around the country. I always thought his work was very interesting. That, coupled with the fact that I had an aptitude for math and science, caused me to think I would enjoy engineering work." He is still a registered professional engineer in the state of Missouri but claims "I would need to get out some text books if I were to resume engineering practice."

In fact Adam's engineering achievements have earned him the distinction of being named a Fellow of ASME. Among other honors he has received is the Society's James N. Landis Medal "for exceptional leadership in the power industry, particularly as chairman of the World Energy Council Executive Assembly; for a lifetime commitment to numerous technical societies and a deep involvement in civic organizations."

The World Energy Council is a global multi-energy organization with members in most of the largest energy-producing and energy-consuming countries. Its mission is "to promote the sustainable supply and use of energy for the greatest benefit of all people." In addition to serving as its chair for three years, Adam has served on other boards as well.

He is currently a director of ASME's Continuing Education Institute and a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Kansas School of Engineering. Adam recently enlisted Stuart Bell, who is Dean of Engineering at the school, to serve on the ASME Foundation's Board of Trustees.

 

back to news & features