Monroe Made: Dr. Terry Adams

Monroe Made- Dr. Terry Adams, MD FACS

Dr. Terry Adams of Vonore, Tennessee, is a proud graduate of Vonore High School class of 1973 and a retired general and vascular surgeon with Tennessee Surgical Specialists. He credits his Monroe County education with giving him the strong foundation he needed for college, medical school, and more than 15 years of formal education. In a small school where everyone felt like family, he learned early the importance of balancing academics, athletics, and hard work.

He fondly remembers Mr. Lowell Smith, his math teacher, whose challenging classes pushed him to excel. He states that “competing in math contests felt easier than Mr. Smith’s math class, but the high expectations prepared me well for college and inspired a lifelong love of learning.”

Dr. Adams went on to train at Erlanger Medical Center, a Level One Trauma Center, where he cared for patients facing life-threatening injuries and emergencies. One of his proudest moments was helping save a young woman with a ruptured spleen who later became an ICU nurse, and, years later, cared for his own sister.

He attributes his strong work ethic to his parents: a World War II and Korean War veteran father and a hardworking mother who taught him the value of time, service, and integrity. Dr Adams says he is proud to have learned from his parents, even when that meant being “volunteered” to help neighbors in the hay fields.