Mattituck Student to Receive Journalism Scholarship in Memory of Chuck Adams

To Bob Liepa, longtime sports editor for the in Mattituck, was one of the hardest-working and most upbeat journalists he ever knew.

“I saw how hard-working, conscientious and reliable he was,” Liepa said. “Chuck could be counted on to pick up a late-breaking assignment and come through for us in a pinch.”

Which is why Liepa is happy to hear that friends and family of Adams, a Mattituck native who died on Jan. 4 at the age of 55, have created the “Chuck Adams Excellence in Journalism Award,” a scholarship fund in the name of the prolific journalist to be awarded annually to a senior who was active in high school athletics and plans to study journalism in college.

Susan McGinn, an English teacher at Mattituck High School and advisor of Mattitalk (the school paper) was very pleased to hear of the scholarship and said she already had the perfect student in mind.

"It's a great thing, because college can be so expensive," she said. "It'll be really nice for students going into communications."

The idea of the scholarship, said close family friend Karenann Yoerges Volinski, came about immediately after his untimely death.

“We wanted to exemplify who he was in his quest for excellence in journalism and what he stood for,” Volinski said. “He died way before his time and just did so many things for the community.”

Adams was a 1973 graduate of Mattituck High School with a degree in business from Hofstra who covered sports for the Times/Review for 15 years. He was also a paraplegic and was once captain of the Hofstra wheelchair basketball team.

“His handicap was never an issue,” Volinski said. “He just lived life.”

Volinski, 55, said she knew Adams since moving with her family to Mattituck during her freshman year of high school and graduated a grade behind him. Roger Yoerges, Volinski’s brother and an attorney in Washington, D.C. who is in charge of gathering donations to the scholarship fund, said he too knew Adams for over 40 years.

“I was one of four close friends who palled around in high school and beyond,” he said. “Chuck and his family were one of the anchor-tenants of Mattituck and a must-stop for many who come back for a visit.”

Adams was also a radio host and the author of one book titled “Something More,” a fiction novel loosely based on his own life. The novel was the first of a planned trilogy. “Something Else,” the planned second novel, had been accepted for publication shortly before Adams’ death.

“It's okay to be different, it's okay to dream, it's okay to want something more,” was Adams’ favorite quote, which is still posted on his Facebook page.

“As a person, Chuck was about as outgoing as they come,” Liepa said. “What I will remember most about him is his upbeat manner, almost always wearing a smile on his face. He was just a nice, friendly guy who loved sports, people and his family.”

Those interested in making a donation to the “Chuck Adams Excellence in Journalism Award” should send a check, payable to Mattituck-Cutchogue UFSD, to Roger W. Yoerges, Esq., Steptoe & Johnson, LLP, 1330 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC  20036. Questions about the award can be directed by email to Mr. Yoerges at ryoerges@steptoe.com. Candidates will be selected by the English and Athletic departments of Mattituck High School.