Norman Adair
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- Year Inducted:
- 2011
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- Sport(s):
- Football
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- Inductee Category:
- Athlete
Adair, who was born in Harrison, Ark., was raised in Carthage, Mo., where he graduated from Carthage High School. Adair entered Central Methodist in the fall of 1932, where he was a member of the football and golf teams, while also serving as president of the “C” club and the Chi Delta“Atom Club.” As a football player, Adair was a two-time All-Conference center, and also served as a team captain for the Eagles. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Central Methodist in 1936.
After Central Methodist, Adair graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1941. He then returned to Missouri to serve his internship at Kansas City General Hospital. In 1942, Adair was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Army Medical Corps, and served as a member of the 82nd Airborne where he was attached to the 326 Glider Infantry Regiment. Following the war, radiology became Adair’s specialty. He served as a resident physician in radiology at Baylor University Hospital and a the University of Virginia Hospital, before becoming an instructor in radiology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine for one year. 1n 1947, Adair established a private practice in Covington, Ky.
Adair also left a legacy of land to be kept free of development in Boone County in northern Kentucky. He and his wife, Martha, donated 640 acres to the Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife, which is now the Adair Wildlife Management Area. The couple also left a smaller piece of land that is being preserved in its natural state so that the wildlife and native vegetation can thrive.
Adair, a 1936 graduate of Central Methodist, passed away in 1999, and members of his family will be in attendance to accept the award on his behalf.
