Verdi Adam

Verdi Adam passed away peacefully on December 30, 2025, surrounded by family and friends. Verdi was very kind and loved his family and friends more than anything. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Ugur Adam; his daughter, Suna Adam (Ben Fontenot); and his grandchildren, Kent Knaus (Shay Westman), Erol Knaus (Hannah Knaus), and Tamer Knaus (Annie Villarubia). Verdi was born August 7, 1930, in Istanbul, Turkey, and attended Robert College, graduating in civil engineering in 1952. Verdi then moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he received his M.S. in civil engineering from LSU in 1954. His career began with the then Louisiana Highway Department, later LaDOTD, where he became an internationally recognized expert in the areas of paving, structural materials and pavement design. He served as Chief Engineer for the Offices of Highways and Aviation, Director of Construction and Maintenance Division, and Materials and Research Engineering of DOTD. Verdi also served as the Chief of Paving and Structural Materials Group of the U.S. Department of Transportation, where he assisted the U.S. Congress and FHWA in formulating national transportation policies. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the Louisiana Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and he taught highway engineering courses at LSU as an Adjunct Associate Professor. Verdi was appointed to the Louisiana Highways and Transportation Hall of Honor in 1998 and was awarded the Industry Recognition Award in 1970 for his outstanding contributions to the asphalt pavement industry. Verdi was appointed to the LSU College of Civil and Environmental Engineering Hall of Distinction honors in 2002. Verdi retired from state government in 1986 after a 32-year career. Verdi then went on to spend 33 years as president of GEC, Inc where he grew and ran a state-wide firm of over 200 employees in design, planning, and management of a diverse array of projects for hundreds of Federal, state, local, and private clients nationwide. Verdi was heavily involved in projects such as designing sections of I-49, serving as the engineering firm of record for the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the Louisiana TIMED Program which included portions of the John James Audubon Mississippi River Bridge and 500 miles of improved roads across Louisiana. Verdi retired from GEC in 2019 at the age of 89. There will be a Celebration of Life on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at City Club, Baton Rouge.