Jon Adams made his living in art, but as an art director, not so much as an artist. The distinction was important to him.
"Jon did a few paintings that hang in our home," said his life partner of 35 years, Dr. Hal Brody of Atlanta. "But his main focus was on conceptualizing and synthesizing the work of others into a whole that was greater than its various components. It always struck me that after watching a movie he would stay for the credits, not to check the actors, but to see who the art director was."
Mr. Adams did much of his synthesizing for Coca-Cola, where he worked from 1968 to 1985. Even afterward, when he formed his own art consulting company, Jon Adams & Associates, his principal client was Coke.
For years Coca-Cola has produced a wealth of material for its executives, its employees and its customers -- videos and films, trade show exhibits, newsletters, programs, invitations, even Coke-themed gifts. "All of these were enhanced by Jon's fine eye and design skill," said Clark Goodwin of Atlanta, a former Coca-Cola colleague.
Mr. Adams was good at multi-tasking, said Dr. Brody. "Jon would design the look of an entire Coca-Cola exhibit at a trade show at the World Congress Center and then orchestrate a stage show that would be a major element of the exhibit."
Jon Harvey Adams, 69, died of cancer on Tuesday at his Atlanta home. A funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Bernard's Catholic Church in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. A reception for his Atlanta friends is scheduled between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Alfredo's Restaurant, 1989 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta. In lieu of flowers, it was his wish that contributions be made to Project Open Hand, 176 Ottley Drive, Atlanta, GA 30324. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Adams' Coca-Cola associates remember him fondly.
"Jon hired me as a layout artist and taught me more in a year than I had learned in three previous years in art school," said Mike Molen of Duluth. "Jon went out of his way to mentor me and never failed to credit me for my part in a project, when an art director with a big ego might not have.
"To show how thoughtful and generous a boss Jon was, he assigned me once back in 1980 to hand-carry a fragile glass sculpture -- an award gift from Coca-Cola -- to one of its high-performing salesmen," Mr. Molen said. "I was to fly it to New York on a paid-for airline seat next to mine. At the last minute, he found Delta wouldn't let me keep it on the seat; it would have to go on the floor. So Jon told me to bring my wife along, spend a couple of extra days in New York, visit the Museum of Modern Art and take in a Broadway show."
Mr. Adams appreciated good food, said Ellis Hughes of Mountain Rest, S.C., a former Coca-Cola employee. "My husband and I would check the paper for hot new places to eat in Atlanta, and when we'd go to one, we'd invariably find Jon and Hal already there. He was on the cutting edge when it came to restaurants."
A longtime lover of live drama, Mr. Adams produced in collaboration with Dr. Brody three productions at local theaters -- "Splendora," "O Miranda" and "Red Hot and COLE."
Sandra Dorsey, artistic director for the Dorsey Theatre, called Mr. Adams "an angel."
"Jon lent us his time and talent when he co-produced ‘Red Hot and COLE,' a musical about Cole Porter performed on our stage in the mid-1990s. He was especially helpful when it came to set and poster designs and also with marketing. I have appreciated his artistic counsel ever since."
He is survived by a sister, Barbara Moulin of Marietta.
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