Professor retires to spend time with son

MCJ instructor Adams ends 17-year teaching career to be with his son, who is suffering from kidney problems

By EISA AL NASHMI

The mass communications and journalism department will lose one of its best at the end of the semester.

After 17 years of teaching at Fresno State, Paul Adams will retire to take care of his 27-year-old ill son.

Adams said his son has suffered from kidney problems for the past 10 years, which have physically and emotionally affected his life.

Adams’s son has a rare disease in the blood that kills the kidneys. Adams donated his kidney to his son in 1999. The kidney eventually died, and just recently, Adams’ son got another kidney transplant—from his mother.

“We are a family of single kidneys,” he said.

Adams said after the second procedure, his son’s physical health is as good as it has been, but he needs some motivation to start a new life.

“He needs a lot of psychological support right now,” Adams said.

Betsy Hays, a public relations professor at Fresno State, said Adams will be missed by everyone in the MCJ department.

“I’m devastated that he’s leaving, but I am also excited for him,” Hays said. “I’m sure the next stage will be a great chapter in his life.”

Hays had known Adams for more than 10 years. She was a student of his when she attended Fresno State, and she has been working with him for the past six years.

“He was a wonderful instructor,” Hays said. “He puts all of himself into the students.”

Hays said Adams was behind the success of public relations program. “He and I worked on developing the program, making it larger and giving it some consistency.”

For Hays, Adams is great resource whenever she had unanswered questions.

“His knowledge is inevitable,” Hays said. “He taught me how to teach, how to deal with students and how to put effective classes.”

Inga Lukaviciute, a graduate student from Lithuania, said Adams’ classes are not easy, but they are always fun and interactive.

“Whenever he enters a class, there’s a big smile in his face,” Lukaviciute said. “You think he never had a bad day.”

Lukaviciute said she got all the help she needed when Adams was he adviser.

“He is very caring, and will always be there for you,” she said.

Don Priest, chair of the MCJ department, said it will be hard to replace a “great guy” like Adams.

“He has a lot of history in the MCJ department,” Priest said. “He’s been teaching for a long time and knows the ins and outs of the department.”

Priest said the department is currently on the look for a public relations and advertising professor.

For Adams, his departure will be a new “adventure” in life. He doesn’t look at it as a retirement—he sees it as “going to a new job."

Adams said he will surely miss the campus, but he will miss his students the most.

“Fresno State students are very appreciative of what you give them,” Adams said. “They have been very good to me.”