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WHEREAS, Adam Wade, born Patrick Henry Wade, grew up in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and graduated from Westinghouse High School in Homewood; and,
WHEREAS, After graduating from Westinghouse High School, Adam, as a lab assistant, served as part of the research team for Dr. Jonas Salk, who invented the polio vaccine; and,
WHEREAS, In 1959, Adam switched to the performing arts and found within himself a smooth, gifted vocalist, having been compared to Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole. In 1960, he signed with CoEd Records and scored with a string of successes including “Ruby” and “I Can’t Help It”; and,
WHEREAS, In 1961, three of Adam’s recordings, Take Good Care of Her, As If I Didn’t Know and The Writing on the Wall made the Top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Adam also released albums in the United Kingdom in 1962; and,
WHEREAS, In 1975, Adam hosted the CBS game show Musical Chairs, making him the first African-American game show host; and,
WHEREAS, After appearing in the national tour of the musical Hallelujah, Baby!, he starred in the production of Guys and Dolls in 1978 and hosted the talk show Mid-Morning LA. On TV, he was seen in the soap operas “The Guiding Light” and “Search for Tomorrow” and was a familiar presence on popular black-oriented sitcoms such as “Sanford & Son”, “The Jeffersons”, “What’s Happening” and “Good Times”; and,
WHEREAS, Adam also appeared in several movies, including Gordon’s War, Shaft, Come Back, Charleston Blue, Across 100th Street and The Education of Sonny Carson; and,
WHEREAS, After 40 years, he took time out to go back to school and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Lehman College and his Master’s Degree from Brooklyn College;
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend, Adam Wade for his contributions to the performing arts ; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Saturday, October 17, 2015, to be “Adam Wade Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.