Jules Andre Adams, Air Force vet and retired history teacher, dies at 89

Jules Andre Adams, an Air Force veteran and retired history teacher, died on Sunday, June 26, 2022, from dementia complications. He was 89.

Born on July 29, 1932, he was the youngest child of the late Hannon and Lillian Adams.

His family included his brothers and sisters, Mildred, Archie, Decies, Oscar and Benard. He and the other children liked to play in their large yard on Franklin Street and enjoyed a happy childhood with friends and neighbors in the tight-knit community.

After graduating from Abington High School, Adams entered the U.S. Air Force to study electronics. After his military service, he relocated to Rochester, New York, where he was employed by the Stromberg Carlson electronics company, using the skills he developed in the Air Force.

He moved back to the Philadelphia area and married Ernestyne James of Camden, South Carolina, who was a social worker and future professor. In 1965, the couple had a child, Todd Walker Adams.

Adams attended Cheyney State University for his bachelor’s degree and Saint Joseph’s University for his master’s degree.

He became employed with the School District of Philadelphia. He retired after over 30 years of dedicated service and was known as one of the most involved and knowledgeable history teachers in the district.

He was so deeply immersed in the jazz community that visitors to his home often heard jazz playing before entering. If anyone spoke ill of pianist Thelonious Monk in his presence, they could be subject to eviction in short order. He gifted his coveted bass fiddle to one of his Martin Luther King High School students, and that student went on to become a member of the Philadelphia-based jazz group, “Pieces of A Dream.”

After his retirement from the school district, he traveled to Europe, enjoying the food, music and culture it offered.

“Jules absolutely loved food, literature, history, and music in general, including his time with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra when he lived in New York,” his family said in a tribute. “Probably, his most liked hobbies were bicycling and anything associated with jazz. Jules always loved to ride bikes. He rode with a group of friends, including his close friend Stanley Harmon. They would ride all over Philadelphia. He would even ride to work.”

He is survived by his son, Todd, and other family members and friends.

Services were held on July 6 at Ivy Hill Cemetery Chapel.