Longtime Volunteer Awarded MLK Award

Longtime civic volunteer E. Charles Adams was named the winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award, the city of Oceanside announced.

Adams served for 17 years on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission - - including a decade as chairman. He was also on the Mira Costa Community College Board of Trustees for 10 years, and served on boards for the Oceanside Police Department and Oceanside Art Museum.

“I thinks it’s fair to say that Mr. Adams exemplifies the essence of Dr. King in his thoughtful deliberations, his gentle approach and his many years of leadership and service to our community,” said Margery Pierce, the city’s neighborhood services director. “He is a living reminder of the truths exemplified by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

The annual award is given to a resident of Oceanside or Camp Pendleton who exemplifies the slain civil rights leader’s ideals and teachings, and who has volunteered for the community over a long period of time.

Adams was honored at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration held by the NAACP’s North County branch.

He retired as a senior chief petty officer after 24 years in the Navy, where he did duty in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. He later became an athletic trainer and girls track coach at Oceanside High School.

--City News Service