UPDATED WITH STORY: Burt and Jodi Adams named Leaders in Philanthropy

Alice Pecoraro remembered the days 40 years ago when she was the Central Catholic guidance counselor for student Burt Adams.

"Little did I know the engineer would become a teacher,” Pecoraro said.

Adams did indeed become an engineer, and eventually returned to Central Catholic to teach.

Now Pecroraro and Adams have something in common other than their time at the local high school. On Thursday, the Community Foundation of Acadiana named Burt and Jodi Adams as 2022 St. Mary Leaders in Philanthropy, an honor William and Alice Pecoraro received in 2018.

“They have supported more good causes for this community than I could list,” Pecoraro said at the awards event at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City.

Adams received his civil engineering degree from Tulane, and he married his high school sweetheart, Jodi, who attended Morgan City High and earned a nursing degree from what is now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

They moved to Houston, where he worked for Raymond International, and she was a nurse at Methodist Hospital. When he was transferred to Malaysia, she became nursing manager for a Vietnamese refugee camp.

Then Burt Adams moved on to Harvard for his master of business administration degree, while Jodi Adams was a nurse at the university’s infirmary.

They have three children, Colby, Rachel and Chelsea. After holding a number of executive positions with oilfield-related companies, Burt Adams is president and CEO of OGRS LLC.

They credit their parents, Red and Yvonne Adams and Joe and Susie Sanford, with teaching them the value of philanthropy.

Their volunteer and charitable work has included:

—Supporting Central Catholic Elementary and High School. She has worked as the auction chair, and he has chaired the Board of Directors and Finance Committee. Burt Adams also became a Central Catholic teacher of physics, chemistry and calculus for more than 10 years.

—Supporting Pharr Chapel United Methodist Church for 25 years. She has chaired the Church Council, and he has chaired the Finance Committee.
Jodi Adams also worked as mission coordinator for medical and construction trips to Mexico, Costa Rica, the Red Bird Mission in the Appalachians, the Choctaw Reservation in Mississippi and Heifer International in Arkansas.

—Supporting St. Mary Outreach, Lakewood Foundation, Manresa House of Retreats, Holy Cross Church, Project Graduation for east St. Mary high schools, Tulane, Harvard and UL Lafayette.

The Community Foundation of Acadiana also named these Leaders in Philanthropy across the region:

—Sandy and Wayne Melancon, Acadia

—Linda and Charles Buller, Evangeline

—Lillian and Ernest P. Breaux Jr., Iberia

—Elaine and Richard Zuschlag, Lafayette

—Peggy and Dr. Albert Huguet, St. Landry

—Jennifer and Glenn Angelle, St. Martin

—Karen and Fred Hoyt, Vermilion

Kimberly Boudreaux received the Catholic Charities of Acadiana Impact Award.
Anna Olivier of the Jim Olivier Family of Companies received the Corporate Award.