Photo by Erin Nelson.
Doug Adair holds a great horned owl in September 2020 at the Alabama Wildlife Center at Oak Mountain State Park. Adair died Dec. 6.
Doug Adair spent his life in service to others. From a young age in Boy Scouts, to serving as class president in high school and being named a Truman Scholar, to his work in the federal government and as a lawyer, he lived an extraordinary, but humble, life.
Adair, the executive director of the Alabama Wildlife Center for the past eight years, passed away Dec. 6. An avid runner since high school, he called his sister, Linda Kyle, following a run the day before Thanksgiving and told her he was having chest pains.
“He walked home and waited a while and thought it would get better,” Kyle said. “He thought it was indigestion but decided it wasn’t, so he left to go to the hospital.”
As he was en route to the hospital, Adair suffered a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest, all while his sister was still on the phone.
Kyle said the paramedics were able to revive him, but his brain had gone too long without oxygen. Adair spent over a week in Shelby Baptist Medical Center before passing.
“It was a blessing we were on the phone with him,” Kyle said. “He told us that if he didn’t make it, he wanted us to know ‘I’m going to be happy and joyful in heaven, and I don’t want you to be sad.’ To hear him say that and to know he felt confident and secure — it was a blessing.”
1 of 6
Photos courtesy of Linda Kyle.
Doug Adair with President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. Adair’s sister, Linda Kyle, recently found letters to him from George H.W. Bush thanking him for his support.
2 of 6
Left: Adair with President Ronald Reagan. Adair served in several important political positions, including executive director for George H.W. Bush for president, office of the Vice President and associate director of the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs.
3 of 6
Left: Adair with President Ronald Reagan. Adair served in several important political positions, including executive director for George H.W. Bush for president, office of the Vice President and associate director of the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs.
4 of 6
Adair during his graduation ceremony from the University of Alabama School of Law.
5 of 6
6 of 6
Learning to lead
Along with running, Adair also loved Scouting. He began Boy Scouts at a young age and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Kyle said Scouting opened a lot of opportunities for him, especially for leadership.
Adair was president of his senior class at W.A. Berry, along with running track and cross-country, and was a member of the debate team. He presented many speeches and participated in oratorical contests.
In high school, he was selected for the American Academy of Achievement, which brings young leaders face-to-face with the extraordinary visionaries and pioneers who have helped shape the world. While there, he met Nobel Peace Prize winner Linus Pauling; Dr. Patrick Steptoe, who helped in the development of in-vitro fertilization; Louis L’Amour, an American novelist and short-story writer; celebrities Ed Asner and Cloris Leachman; and baseball star Hank Aaron.
“I think that helped make him want to be the best he could be, too,” Kyle said.
His athletic skills garnered him a scholarship to Samford University. Also on the debate team, Adair was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for the state of Alabama in 1981. The award is given to those who demonstrate outstanding potential for and who plan to pursue a career in public service, which Adair did.
Government roles
He had started his first year of law school at the University of Alabama when he was asked to work for the advance team for then-Vice President George H.W. Bush and traveled to the Hague and Mali, West Africa.
Soon after, Guy Hunt was running for governor of Alabama, and he called Adair and asked him to plan his inauguration, making him the youngest executive director for the Republican Party for the state of Alabama.
After the inauguration, Adair returned to Washington, D.C., where he served in several important political positions, including executive director for George H.W. Bush for president, Office of the Vice President and associate director of the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs.
“He would be in the cabinet meetings for securities, war, commerce, housing and urban development and get their notes every week to compile them and send them to President [H.W.] Bush, and then he would send them back to Doug with his notes to the cabinet,” Kyle said.
Kyle said she recently found the most incredible letters from former President Bush to Adair thanking him for his support.
“He traveled the world with Bush, everywhere but Antarctica, rode on Air Force One and Two,” Kyle said. “He loved the Bushes and respected them so much.”
He was serving as the associate director for the Office of Cabinet Affairs in the White House when Bill Clinton assumed the presidency, and Adair transitioned to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There, he served as deputy director of the Office of Public Liaison, deputy director of public affairs and deputy press secretary.
Adair returned home to Birmingham to complete law school at the University of Alabama when he was in his early-to-mid 30s. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer in Huntsville and Birmingham, practicing for more than 20 years.
Kyle said Adair was a great lawyer, but that he just didn’t find fulfillment and knew there was something more.
Finding fulfillment
Adair began working as the executive director of the AWC in 2013, spreading awareness about the organization and its mission to be a place where animals were rehabilitated and the public was educated about the animals and how to protect them in their natural environments.
“When the job at the Alabama Wildlife Center came open, it was such a blessing for him because he got to do what he loved,” Kyle said. “He got to take the center forward and use his skills to network and raise money for the center.”
Andrew Arnold, director of education and outreach at the AWC, said Adair’s experience in Scouts at a young age gave him a true passion for the outdoors.
“After he lived his first full life and career, he got to move on to something huge for him: nature, outdoors and wildlife,” Arnold said.
Arnold joined the AWC staff right after the arrival of Shelby, a bald eagle. He said he believes the enclosure built for Shelby will be Adair’s biggest lasting legacy with the AWC.
Arnold said he learned from Adair the ins and outs of how to manage a nonprofit, including soliciting funds and grants, at which he said Adair was amazing. He said building the camaraderie and intimate connection with the volunteers and staff and maintaining those relationships was an important building block in his career.
“I have a lot of different things to owe to him; [I’m] grateful for all the time I got with him,” Arnold said.
Former Shelby County Manager Alex Dudchock said it was a pleasure to work with Adair in developing the new infrastructure at the Wildlife Center at Oak Mountain State Park.
“He was very consistent, thorough and timely in responding to county requests for conservation programming and provided excellent services both onsite and throughout our county,” Dudchock said. “I consistently heard very positive comments from state leaders and state park officials about his professionalism in delivering expanded conservation services throughout Alabama. Shelby County directly benefited from Doug’s leadership at the AWC. He was a very humble civic leader.”
Shelby County Commissioner Lindsey Allison said she had known Adair for many years. He was an Eagle Scout with her brother, and their children participated with his children in activities.
“Doug served in many functions throughout the county,” Allison said. “One word that keeps coming to mind is selfless. Doug was an exceptionally kind and hard worker, and our county was so much better because of Doug. He was very smart and very accomplished, from Washington, D.C., to Montgomery, yet he focused on his passion with wildlife and Shelby County. Doug could have done anything anywhere, but he chose Shelby County to make it better. As Shelby County residents, we owe Doug a lot of appreciation.”
Adair was an active member in The Shelby County Chamber. He became a member of the Governmental Affairs Work Group in 2014 and served as the work group’s chair from Jan 2019 until his passing. During his time on the Governmental Affairs Work Group, he assisted in creating the chamber’s public policy agenda, helped with all of the events hosted by the chamber each year.
He was also part of the group that helped establish the Chamber’s Tourism & Recreation Work Group in April 2017 and served as the work group’s first chair. During his time on the Tourism & Recreation Work Group, he assisted in creating the Shelby County Tourism & Recreation All Star Awards program which recognizes excellence in the tourism and recreation industry here in Shelby County; a tear-off attractions map for lodging, restaurant and attractions to share with tourists and visitors and the weekly “What is there to do while I’m in Shelby County” email distributed to lodging, restaurant and attractions to share with tourists and visitors.
A blue and gold officer for the U.S. Naval Academy, Adair worked locally with U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer to recruit candidates for the program. He continued to be active with the Scouts, serving on boards and councils and was a member of the Kiwanis Club.
“I think he was growing stronger in his faith every day, and that was so important to him,” Kyle said. “Everything he was involved in with naval recruits, the AWC and Scouts, all those things were just pieces of him trying to be the best he could and do for others what he could do.”
Mike McDevitt is now serving as the AWC’s interim executive director. He was the board chairman of the nonprofit prior to Adair’s passing. Arnold said they are looking for someone to help try to fill Adair’s enormous shoes.
“Doug helped to keep us on solid ground enough that we will be able to continue functioning as normal,” Arnold said. “The role he played in the community and with us is going to be impossible to fill.”
