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Publisher, SOU friend Adams dies He pioneered paperbacks, gave to others By GARY NELSON Allan Maynard Adams of Ashland, a pioneer in the publishing world who became known later as a philanthropist, died Sunday at his winter home in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 85. He was born April 4, 1914, in Portland. He lived in Canada until he was 12, when he moved to Seattle. He graduated from Princeton University. In 1939, in Minneapolis, he married Mary Lou Junod. In 1975, in Medford, he married Patricia Ann Spencer, who survives. Adams was active in the publishing world for more than 50 years. After graduating from college, he joined Fawcett Corp., a publishing house formed by his mother and two uncles. Fawcett published, among other things, books and magazines such as "True Confessions" and "Woman's Day," comics and screen magazines. Along with his brother and cousin, Adams later became part of a group that established the paperback industry. In the early 1940s, Adams approached authors such as John D. McDonald, Mickey Spillane and Erskine Caldwell about writing directly for the new paperback market. After leaving Fawcett, Adams started his own publishing company in Derby, Conn. He and his brother sold Fawcett to CBS in 1978. In 1974, Adams moved to Medford, where he owned and operated the Rogue Valley News Agency, a periodical distribution company. He served as president of the Bureau of Independent Publishers and Wholesalers and president of the Pacific Coast Independent Magazine Distributors Association, and was president of the Oregon Periodical Association for nine years. He received numerous awards, including the Newsboy Award for the outstanding wholesaler in the nation. After retiring in 1987, he became active in Rogue Valley business and social life. He was a member and past president of the Southern Oregon University Foundation Board, and received the President's Medal in 1987. A rose garden at the Plunkett Center was named in honor of Adams and his wife, Patty. They were also the founders of the SOU Presidents Ball. In 1986, the couple received Ashland Community Hospital's Distinguished Service Award, and were named the Ashland Chamber of Commerce Citizens of the Year. In 1998 the hospital named its lobby in their honor. During World War II, Adams served as a U.S Navy pilot on the carrier USS Enterprise. He enjoyed flying and traveling. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church of Ashland. A private interment is planned. Survivors, in addition to his wife, include a daughter, Sharon Lakefish, Medford; a son, John, Medford; two stepsons, Kevin Spencer, Evansville, Ind., and Tony Spencer, Farmington, Minn.; a brother, Jack, Suisan, Calif.; a sister, Margaret Nelson, Palm Desert, Calif.; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Bruce, who died in 1990. Arrangements: Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home, Ashland. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.