Walter Adams was born on August 27, 1922 in Vienna, Austria. He received a B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1942 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University in 1946 and 1947, respectively. His graduate studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served, with distinction, in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945. In 1947, he joined the Michigan State faculty in the Economics Department and became a nationally-renowned economist who was regularly called to testify before Congressional hearings. Adams assumed the presidency on April 1, 1969 and vacated the office on January 1, 1970. At the outset, Adams made very clear that he did not want to be considered for the permanent presidency and maintained this stance despite the fact that he was very popular with the students, faculty, and the Board of Trustees. When he stepped down from the presidency, he resumed his former position, a post he held until retiring on December 31, 1992. Adams died, at the age of 76, on September 8, 1998.
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