Tom McAdams
| Tom McAdams | |
|---|---|
 Tom McAdams, USCG | |
| Born | 1931 |
| Nationality | USA |
| Other names | Thomas D. McAdams |
| Occupation | sailor |
| Known for | highly decorated coast guard seamen who rescued boaters on multiple occasions |
Tom McAdams is a highly respected former US Coast Guard rescue boat commander.[1] After retiring from the Coast Guard McAdams became an officer in the volunteer fire department in Newport, Oregon, the same community where he had commanded his motor lifeboats.[2]
McAdams commanded the Coast Guard's 36 foot motor lifeboat, its 44 foot motor lifeboat, and its 52 foot motor lifeboat, and helped design the current 47 foot motor lifeboat.[2] McAdams rounded out his 27-year Coast Guard career by commanding the Coast Guard's Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment, Ilwaco, Washington, where he wrote its first training manual.
In 2008, while reporting on the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of Canada's Bamfield station, the Victoria Times Colonist characterized McAdams as a "legendary figure in the U.S. Coast Guard", who "stole the show at the historic symposium with his on-the-job tales."[1]
McAdams life-saving efforts were so dramatic that he appeared as a guest on several television shows, and was profiled in Life magazine and National Geographic.[2]
References
- 1 2 "Bamfield marks 100 years of saving lives at sea". Victoria Times Colonist. 2008-06-17. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22.
Tom McAdams, who's a legendary figure in the U.S. Coast Guard, stole the show at the historic symposium with his on-the-job tales. McAdams served for 27 years in the Pacific Northwest based out of USCG Station Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. After retirement he joined the Newport Fire Department and gave that organization 30 years of service.
- 1 2 3 "BMCM Thomas D. McAdams, USCG (Ret.)". USCG. 2005. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22.
If one uses publicity as a measure of fame, then Master Chief McAdams is the most famous enlisted person who ever served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He appeared in Life, National Geographic, True and other national publications. He appeared on numerous television programs, including "To Tell The Truth" and the "Who's Who" feature of Charles Kuralt's "On the Road" program.