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Senator who supported Delaware harness racing dies

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June 26, 2009

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Thurman G. Adams Jr., Delaware's longest-serving member of the State Senate and a supporter of harness racing, died at age 80 on Tuesday, June 23, after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

In addition to initiating legislation included key measures such as the enhanced 911 system and right-turn-on red for automobiles, Adams was a strong advocate and supporter of harness racing in Delaware.

Adams was a stately figure in Delaware politics. He served as Delaware Senate President Pro Tem and was a Democratic party power in the Senate for more than a generation.

Adams died early Tuesday morning after hospitalization for pancreatic cancer. Adams was admitted to Kent General Hospital in Dover, Del. on June 15. Doctors confirmed the nature of his illness only shortly before his death. Adams would have turned 81 on July 25.

Adams served for a number of years on the Delaware Highway Commission and the Governor's Safety Committee. His political career began in 1972, when the 44-year-old feed storeowner was first elected as a legislator. Some of his proudest accomplishments included a bill that provided for an enhanced 911 system that automatically gives dispatchers the address from which a call is originating. Not long after the system went into place, it helped rescue a woman who was abducted and held captive. When she was able to temporarily elude her captor and dialed 911, the operator knew her location because of the system.

Family members have not yet completed funeral arrangements. (Dover Downs)

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