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TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE PASSING OF ELIZABETH NICHOLSON NELSON ADAMS OF COLUMBIA AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives was deeply saddened to learn of the death of poet and artist Elizabeth Nicholson Nelson Adams of Columbia on March 2, 2020, at the venerable age of seventy-nine. Notably, she passed away on the fifty-eighth anniversary of her wedding day to her beloved husband, Weston Adams; and
Whereas, born in Columbia on January 22, 1941, Elizabeth was the daughter of Elizabeth Juliet Nicholson Nelson and Patrick Henry Nelson. Through her father's family, who were historically from Camden and Clarendon County, and her mother's Nicholson family of Edgefield, she descended from men and women who were active participants throughout the making of South Carolina's history, including a Revolutionary War general, a Revolutionary War heroine, South Carolina governors, members of the United States Congress, and a South Carolina Speaker of the House; and
Whereas, Elizabeth Adams was educated at Columbia High School, where she was a Merit Scholar. She attended St. Mary's College in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the University of South Carolina, where she earned a bachelor's degree, followed by a master's degree and finally a doctorate, which she accomplished while raising four sons; and
Whereas, a woman of action, Dr. Adams taught English at the University of South Carolina, Columbia College, and, most meaningfully, at Benedict College. As a graduate student, she worked for historian C. Vann Woodward on his Pulitzer Prize-winning edition of Mary Boykin Chesnut's Civil War diary. She was also a poet who published her work in a variety of academic journals and who ultimately published her collected poetry, Gathering the Rain, in 1990; and
Whereas, further, she was an accomplished painter and lithographer who exhibited her art in shows in Lilongwe (Malawi), Los Angeles, Nantucket, Palm Beach, Charleston (Piccolo Spoleto Festival), Camden, and Columbia. Her painting and writing were influenced by the family's two-year stint in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 1984 to 1986, where they lived while her husband served as United States Ambassador. Upon her return to the United States, she published her "Five Malawian Writers: An Essay in Personal Exploration" (1987). Additionally, the breadth of her artistic scope was shown by her acting role in her son Julian Adams' first feature film; and
Whereas, Elizabeth Adams was community-minded, as seen in her service as a member of the South Carolina Arts Commission from 1995 to 2000. She also served on the board of directors for the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville; was a member of the New Century Book Club, Wisteria Garden Club, Colonial Dames, and the Assembly, the latter of which she served as president; and made her debut at both the Assembly and the Columbia Cotillion Club. As a lagniappe, she was an outstanding lifelong athlete, playing tennis well into her seventies; and
Whereas, predeceased by her son Robert Adams VI, she leaves to cherish her memory her husband, Ambassador Weston Adams; her sons, Weston Adams III (Lisa), the Reverend Daniel Wallace Adams-Riley (Gena), and Julian Calhoun Adams II; grandchildren Isabel Hope Adams, Joel Adams, Edward Weston Boykin Adams, Robert Adams VII, Patrick Henry Nelson Adams-Riley, Fin M'Coul Adams-Riley, and Elizabeth "Libba" Wentworth Adams; and countless other relatives and friends. Dr. Adams will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of Elizabeth Nicholson Nelson Adams of Columbia and extend the deepest sympathy to her family and many friends.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Ambassador Weston Adams for the family.
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