Richard Darwin Adams

Richard Darwin Adams of Columbia, South Carolina, passed away peacefully on September 11, 2026 at the age of 79. He was born on July 26, 1947 to Myrtle Noecker Adams and Richard Livingston Adams in Reading, Pennsylvania.

He married Nancy Tuomala Adams in 1972, and together they shared 54 years. He is survived by Nancy Adams, son, Todd Matthew Adams, daughter, Amanda Laureen Worrell (Damon Worrell), and grandchildren, Isabelle and Jonah Worrell.

After graduating from Pennsylvania State University (B.S.) and MIT (Ph.D), where he studied under Dr. F. A. Cotton, he took his first position at the State University of New York in Buffalo. From there he went to Yale University in 1975, where he stayed until accepting his final position at the University of South Carolina, where he stayed until June of 2026. During those years, he mentored many PhD students and received many accolades. Some of these included the ACS Award for Inorganic Chemistry (2010), and the ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry (2010). He was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2003). Throughout his career, Professor Adams authored over 600 scientific papers and supervised 49 Ph.D students. He served as a regional editor of the Journal of Organometallic Chemistry for 20 years and the editor-in-chief since 2017.

Richard enjoyed running and completed numerous marathons. Also he enjoyed gardening, bird watching, traveling, and wine tasting. Spending time with family and his dogs also meant a great deal to him.

Visitation will be held at Dunbar Funeral Home in Columbia, SC, on Friday, September 18, 2026, at 1:00pm, followed by a funeral service at 2:00pm. Burial will follow at Serenity Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Richard D. Adams Lectureship in Inorganic Chemistry. https.//donate.sc.edu/ Search ‘Richard D. Adams’ fund or use account b12618.