Sam was born the son of Sherman and Rachel Adams and graduated from Cardigan Mountain School in 1951 and St. Paul's School in 1955. He earned his B.S. from Dartmouth College in 1959 and his M.S. in 1961. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1968. Sam was an economic geologist, active in the mining community as a geologist in industry, a consultant and the department head of Geology and Geologic Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Sam was well-known in the geology field as a bridge between industry and academia, providing leadership in his professional career. In 1991, he became president of the Loon Mountain Ski Resort in Lincoln, where he served until the area was sold in 2000. Later on, he and his wife Nancy became very involved with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Sam was NAMI NH president from 2003-05. Throughout his life, Sam continued to provide leadership and soothed troubled waters when needed in the organizations in which he was involved. He was a problem solver, a people person, a creative thinker and an empowerer, providing these skills in whatever project in which he participated. Sam survived CUPS (cancer of unknown primary) in the same way. For 18 months, he researched his options as if it were a Ph.D. thesis. Through the Payson Center at Concord Hospital, alternate therapies and lastly, at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, he continued his treatments. Sam and Nancy left no stone unturned. Throughout their 50 years, even during the cancer journey, Sam and Nancy traveled together. They explored, camped, fly fished and skied while driving the back roads in their beloved blue '89 Syncro VW camper, Blu-Ox. On one of their trips, they found Jonesport, Maine, a small lobster fishing village way "down east," fell in love with it and bought a small second home on the ocean. Sam, died at his home. His wife of 50 years, Nancy Morris Adams, was with him.