The Pillar Award is given to an individual who has shown generous and ongoing support to the Peoria Notre Dame community by sharing their time, talent, and treasure. The recipient could be a parent, alumni, former faculty, or anyone in the community that has given themselves over the years to support the school.
Dr. Phillip M. Adams
Hailing from Chicago, Dr. Phil Adams received his medical degree at Loyola University and anesthesia training at Northwestern University. He moved to Peoria in 1978 and worked for Associated Anesthesiologists for 27 years caring for patients in all of the area hospitals and clinics. Throughout his long career, Dr. Adams administered approximately 30,000 anesthetics. He served as president of Associated Anesthesiologists, chairman of the Anesthesia Department at St. Francis Medical Center, and on the Board of Directors of the Peoria Medical Society. He was also Medical Staff President of St. Francis Medical Center from 1990-1991, and served on the OSF Community Advisory Board.
After retirement, Dr. Adams participated in the Master Gardener program through the University of Illinois Extension. As a Master Gardener, he has landscaped several houses for Habitat For Humanity and was president of the Peoria County Master Gardeners. He is active in caring for the grounds of St. Thomas Church where the parish received the Orchid Award from Peoria Beautiful. Dr. Adams also served on the Horticulture Advisory Committee for Illinois Central College and has spent 10 years developing a Japanese garden at the ICC arboretum.
He is a team member of the St. Francis Medical Center “No One Dies Alone” program, and a volunteer for OSF Hospice. Dr. Adams’ wife of 36 years, Barbara, passed away two years ago. Their daughters, Julia and Mary, graduated from Peoria Notre Dame in 2001 and 2002.
Dr. Adams will receive the Pillar Award (formerly known as the Foundation Award) given to someone who has shown outstanding leadership and support for the mission of Peoria Notre Dame through time, talent and treasure. He has humbly beautified the school campus landscape planting new flowers and greenery and regularly tutored students after school for five years.