Bernice Adams
Inducted In
2022
Bernice Adams was born and raised in Galt, Ontario by her single mother. She defied her humble beginnings and with limited schooling went on to impact Galt and subsequently, Cambridge for many years.
Bernice was first elected to Galt City Council in 1971, then to the newly formed City of Cambridge Council in 1973. A very popular politician she was acclaimed 5 times.
Bernice was one of Cambridge’s well known media personalities, serving as a host and broadcaster on Galt’s radio station CFTJ, and as a columnist for the Galt Evening Reporter and later the Cambridge Daily Reporter. As a radio personality, Bernice started such programs as Woman of the Week which honoured local women for their contributions to the community. Her newspaper column, Adams About Anything, appeared every Saturday in the newspaper. This column featured stories of local issues and humorous looks at family life and life in the community. Bernice was also active in the Galt Little Theatre, did many speaking engagements and wrote a romance novel (which was never published).
Her style as a politician was unapologetically, as she called it, “Straight from the shoulder”. Always outspoken, her blunt approach was combined with a sharp sense of humour which she used to defuse, or draw attention to issues under discussion. No issue was too big or too small for her. In May 1979, Bernice was elected Chair of the Waterloo Regional Police Commission, the first woman to chair a police commission in Ontario.
In November 1980, at just 45 years old, Bernice passed away suddenly. In recognition of her contributions to the community, the Bernice Adams Memorial Fund was initiated by the City of Cambridge in 1982. The City Council appoints nine citizens as Trustees of the Fund to disperse funds in the form of high school scholarships, bursaries and awards at the annual Bernice Adams Legacy Awards Gala.
The Bernice Adams Legacy Awards, designed to recognize people from the Cambridge community who mentor, support and encourage the arts, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Categories for the awards include visual arts, performing arts, music, and communications/literary arts.
Bernice Adams, already in the Cambridge Hall of Fame, was a force in the life of Cambridge – in the media and on the political stage. Her lasting contributions to the city live on in the Bernice Adams Memorial Fund which supports and recognizes artistic pursuits in the city.