Gillian ADAMS

1934 - 2016

ADAMS, Gillian
1934 - 2016

Gillian Adams of Williamstown, Mass and Campobello Island, New Brunswick, died unexpectedly of heart failure on Monday, August 15, 2016. Born December 18, 1934 in New York City to Ruth Potter and Frederick Baldwin Adams, Jr., Gillian graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University in 1955. She earned her PhD from University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1980.

Gillian attended, raised her daughters and taught at Buxton School in Williamstown, teaching students in the classics, history, music and current events. Later, she was a Graduate Instructor and Lecturer at both UMass Amherst and University of Texas at Austin. After retiring from teaching, Gillian was Editor and Publisher of Children's Literature Abstracts for the International Federation of Library Associations, and Editor and Associate Editor of Children's Literature Association Quarterly and authored many scholarly articles, reviews, lectures and papers. Gillian was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Modern Language Association, Children's Literature Association, Societe Internationale Renardienne and the National Coalition of Independent Scholars. Gillian was loved by her students and highly respected by her peers.

Gillian was an enthusiastic violinist, violist and viola da gamba player. She loved playing in the Sage City Symphony, with her beloved 'viols' group and attending SummerKeys in Lubec, Maine.

Gillian is survived by her daughters, Meredith Browne of Salem Mass, and Alison Smith and her husband Mitchell, of Tenafly, NJ; her grandchildren, Morrigan Browne, Eliza Smith, Jacob Smith and Samuel Smith; her great-grandchildren, Oren and John Browne; as well as, her sisters Anne Adams, Judith Adams, Lauren Fortmiller, Ruth Duell, and brother Roderick Duell. She is also survived by her former husbands Jerry Bidlack, Kurt Heinzelman and Warner Barnes and her step-mother, Marie Louise Adams. She was pre-deceased by her brother, John LaFarge.

She lived for her family, friends, music and nature. She loved working in her garden and picking blueberries on Campobello Island, her heart's home. She was a genius at Scrabble, easily winning nearly every game while simultaneously doing a crossword puzzle. She was a dedicated supporter of social causes, animals, the environment and women's rights.

If Gillian touched your life, please join us for services at St. John's Episcopal Church, 35 Park Street, Williamstown, MA at 1 pm on Saturday, August 27th. Burial will be private.
Contributions in Gillian's name can be made to: Sage City Symphony, PO Box 547, Shaftsbury, VT 05262 or The Tides Institute, PO Box 161, Eastport, Maine 04631.