Worcester Bar honors Court Officer Woodrow Adams as Appeals Court visits city

WORCESTER - From keeping an eye on the lockup area at the Worcester courthouse in the morning to mentoring kids on the basketball court at night, much of the work Woodrow Adams Jr. does is behind the scenes.

The longtime Central District Court officer was front and center Monday, however, as the Worcester County Bar Association honored his work in the community at an event that saluted civic collaboration.

“This is amazing. I’m just a kid from Jaques Ave.,” Adams told dozens of lawyers who assembled at the Beechwood Hotel to celebrate Law Day, a tradition saluting the profession started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958.

Adams has for years volunteered his time coaching basketball and filling thousands of backpacks for needy kids through a nonprofit he created, 508 Forever Young.

His commitment to the community has only deepened since a deadly fire on Jaques Avenue in 2021 claimed the lives of his father, grandmother and uncle.

“I leaned on my family for comfort, I prayed and I found myself now on this upward spiral to continue to carry on the legacies that they left behind,” Adams said in accepting the award. “Edna Mae Williams, Gerald Prince, Woodrow Adams Sr. - I do this for them.”

The Adams family received an outpouring of support and donations in the wake of the fire. Adams has doubled down on his volunteer work following the tragedy, creating new events aimed at helping at-risk kids including a planned eight-week summer camp for inner-city kids this year.

“It hurts, but I will continue to lead while bleeding,” Adams - who has spoken previously about the importance of ending the stigma surrounding mental health - said Monday.

Adams was presented with the Association’s Liberty Bell Award, which, President-Elect Leonardo Angiulo told the crowd, recognizes people whose actions promote respect for the courts.

“(He’s built) a nonprofit that reaches out and does good work in the community - the same community that’s going to come into the courthouse, see him there and know that he’s going to approach every situation with dignity, humanity, and ultimately, respect for the person in front of him,” Angiulo said.

Adams’ message for attendees Monday was to never stop dreaming and striving for their goals, no matter what obstacles are placed in their path. He thanked his wife, Jennifer Adams, and his mother, Lorraine Adams.

Reflecting on his childhood, Adams said he was lucky to have benefitted from the Boys & Girls Club - which kept him “off the streets and out of trouble,” and the values of service and determination his parents instilled.

“I have a job and a duty and a responsibility to uphold that standard that they set for me,” he said as he asked his mother to stand. “I’m honored she’s able to be present and share this moment with me.”

Adams is currently looking for sponsors for his upcoming summer camp. Donors can sponsor a child for $1,000 and make contributions to 508 Forever Young online. 

“This is just the beginning. We’re just getting started,” Adams said Monday of his efforts.

Also recognized by the bar Monday was Rachel Shannon Brown, a supervisor at Community Legal Aid who received the Community Service Award.

“Rachel has worked for nearly 20 years to protect the rights of those who are seen as most vulnerable in the areas of housing, Medicare, disability and employment,” Grace Garcia, president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, said of Brown.

Garcia noted that Brown has volunteered on numerous Worcester boards including the Worcester Citizen Advisory Council and the advisory commission for individuals with disabilities.

Former lieutenant governors Timothy Murray and Karyn Polito both attended and gave remarks Monday. Both agreed that the event’s theme, “Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility and Collaboration,” has never been more important than in modern times.

“We need lawyers right now who stand up for the rule of law,” said Murray. He and Polito - each lawyers themselves - saluted the Worcester Bar as living up to its theme in practice.

“Be proud of what you’re accomplishing for Central Massachusetts,” said Polito, who, like other speakers, saluted the local bar as especially collegial.

In addition to numerous prominent lawyers and judges - including U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David Hennessy, who is currently mulling the detention of alleged military leaker Jack Teixeira - Monday’s event was also attended by a three-member panel of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

The judges - Chief Justice Mark V. Green, Associate Justice Gabrielle R. Wolohojian and Associate Justice Mary Thomas Sullivan - were slated to hear arguments in several cases in Worcester Superior Courtroom 19 Monday morning in honor of Law Day.

As the judges began to pick at eggs and sausages at 7:45 a.m., Courtney E. Mayo, Worcester County Bar Association president, took the lectern to welcome them to Worcester.

“I hope that my remarks prove to you that I’m capable of speaking coherently because in a few hours, I will be in front of you arguing a case and I will be a bundle of nerves,” she said to laughter.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester Bar honors Court Officer Adams as Appeals Court visits city