LIVING HISTORY
16
man who’d just come back from Chicago working with Oppenheimer
(the “father of the atomic bomb”). I was completely
educated in hydraulics, thermodynamics ― the whole
engineering mix. I couldn’t have gotten a better education
anywhere in the world. And then the war ended before I got
my commission… But, you know, we use some of what I
learned every day. We are governed by the laws of physics,
whether it’s the way the water will run, how the heat will be
dispersed ― or the air ― and everything else.”
After the war, Bud continued his education as a civilian at
the University of Florida, where he graduated with a degree
in Economics. When he was only 22, he had some powerful
opportunities in front of him. His father was on his way
to becoming chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court and
would soon be giving up the bench to run for governor
against Fort Pierce native Dan McCarty Jr. Bud’s mentor,
Irlo Bronson, was a powerful member of the Florida House
of Representatives and would one day lead the state Senate.
Ed Ball, who managed the DuPont Estate and practically ran
Florida from behind the scenes, was a good family friend and
neighbor in Tallahassee, so Bud had enough powerhouse connections
to pave his road ahead with a tandem career in law
and politics.
“But politics was never my cup of tea,” Bud said, as he
looked out across his land. “I told my father, ‘I’d like to go
home and run the ranch.’ ”
BACK AT THE RANCH
To understand the implications of that young man’s decision,
you need to consider that St. Lucie County’s population
was only a 15th of the size it is today. The Adams Ranch prop->>
Bud has been an
avid photographer
since childhood.
JON KRAL
Bud’s granddaughter LeeAnn Adams Simmons coordinates public policy for Adams Ranch.
ADAMS RANCH COLLECTION