Dear On-Site Hall of Fame Committee,
I have worked with Andy Adams for the past six years, initially when I joined the teaching staff of the SOP Repairing Small Systems for Field Personnel workshop and later as a member of the Program Improvement Team in the On-Site Wastewater Section. I am pleased and proud to have the opportunity to nominate Andy to the North Carolina On-Site Hall of Fame for the invaluable contributions he has made to the field of on-site wastewater treatment and disposal not only in North Carolina but in the Southeast as well.
Andy began his career in on-site wastewater in the fall of 1981 as an environmental health specialist in Pender County after graduating from UNC-Wilmington with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and earth science. He followed his 20 month stint in Pender County with 4 1/2 years in Randolph County and two years in Rockingham County. In each position he was known to be an eager, dependable, hard-working specialist. His commendable performance in these positions earned him the title of supervisor of Alamance County's on-site and individual water supply unit in 1989. His outstanding supervisory work here gained him the Health Department Employee of the Year Award in 1997. During these same years, Andy made the time to serve on several committees in the on-site wastewater field including being an integral member of the On-Site Systems Program Advisory Committee (OSSPAC).
When the State of Practice Committee decided to establish a workshop to address the problems of dealing with failing septic systems, Andy quickly became an indispensable member of the team that developed the failure analysis chart for troubleshooting septic systems which is the core of the repair workshop. His tireless efforts as the driving force behind this project netted him the lead authorship of the resulting paper which he presented at the 8th National Symposium on Individual and Small Community Septic Systems Orlando, Florida, in 1998. This workshop, first taught in 1996, continues to be offered today due to continued demand from supervisors and county field personnel. Andy is still a dynamic part of the teaching staff.
In 1998 Andy was recruited as leader for the newly created
Program Improvement Team in the On-Site Wastewater Section of the
Division of Environmental Health in DENR. In this position, Andy
has emerged as a primary liaison between the Section and the
Environmental Health Supervisors Association. Under Andy's
tireless leadership, the team has chalked up an impressive list
of accomplishments that include:
Review of 31 local health department on-site programs
with follow-up visits to assist with individual program
improvements Creation or revision of sample applications, permits,
worksheets, tracking forms and checklists for use by local health
department on-site programs Organizing and conducting a 22 county time study in
order to update the information that the statewide manpower
survey tools are based on Increasing participation in the monthly reporting of
activities by local on-site programs from 50 to 99 counties Development of daily activity reporting spreadsheets
for internal section use Review of the Engineering and WaDE teams in the
On-Site Wastewater Section Expansion and maintenance of the On-Site Section Home
pageAndy doesn't recognize a 40 hour work week. Emails dated Saturdays and Sundays or from 1:23 AM or 6:15 AM are not uncommon.
Andy's warm and outgoing personality, his ability to communicate ideas, and his skill at energizing groups of people have lead to his status as one of the premier speakers in the on-site wastewater field in North Carolina. In addition to the SOP Repair workshop, Andy teaches at Centralized Intern Training, the Advanced Soils, Advanced Systems, and Pump workshops offered each year by the On-Site Section, the SOP Large (600+g) Wastewater Systems workshop, and the Certified Operators' Training course. His presentations include those made at the North Carolina On-Site Wastewater Conference, the Florida Septic Tank Association, and the National Symposium on Individual and Small Community Sewage Systems, as well as at numerous public health education district, board of health, and county commissioners' meetings.
I can think of no one who better represents the model Hall of Fame inductee. For his contributions through educational activities at all levels, for the positive changes he has implemented from his supervisory roles, and for his tireless devotion to his chosen field, I am honored to place Andy Adams's name before you today.
Sincerely,
Kae Henderson Arrington, RS
Please address any questions to Dr. David Lindbo.
This page created by
Roland O.
Coburn,
Research Technician I
on 1/8/03.