Mr. Bill Adley is 2019 Senior Hall of Fame Winner!

Mr. Bill Adley is the perfect candidate to be inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame because of all he has done for Stark County and all he continues to do for the community through the programs he developed that are still in place today. He provided Stark County with housing for the mentally disabled and the mentally ill as well as he established the outpatient programs for those struggling with drug addiction, the developmentally disabled and alcoholics.  

Mr. Adley also served our country and served in the Korean War, receiving the Purple Heart. After coming out of the service, he completed his Bachelors Degree as well as hi Master Degree. Following his Masters, he started working on his Doctorate at the age of 34. During this time, he went to 6 different Universities including Sand Diego State, Case Wester, University of Pittsburgh, University of Cincinnati and Princeton.

Bill Adley being inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame

At the age of 34 he met with President Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy at the Onesto Hotel in Canton, Ohio. President Kennedy’s sister was disabled, so what Mr. Adley had been doing over the years in Stark County to help the disabled was close to his heart. 

Senator Claude Pepper of Florida was putting a program together for the mentally ill and the mentally challenged. Mr. Adley and Senator Pepper came up with two bills that the President then signed into law. At the same time, Mr. Adley was lobbying for mental retardation (correct term at that time) and mental health in Washington, D.C. When Jim Rhodes was governor, Mr. Adley put together the two-year State budget in the office of the Speaker of the House and that’s when the Speaker decided that Mr. Adley would do any and all meetings regarding this act all over Ohio and speak in his absence.

While studying at Princeton, Mr. Adley learned how to install a Quality Assurance Program in healthcare. From here he continued to form programs in Ohio, Texas, Kansas and Missouri. At that point he was offered a position in Texas at the Children’s Hospital and Outpatient Services. 

Mr. Adley also lived in Kansas City and St. Joseph, Missouri where he was responsible for Hospitals and Nursing Homes in that area. He worked on not only improving the quality of care in these facilities but would be the one that shut them down if they were not up to standards.

Bill Adley being Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame winner Bill Adley with his family

Mr. Adley retired in 1996 at the age of 66, but it doesn’t stop there! He then went on to volunteer as a Court Angel for the Probate Court right here in Stark County. He would travel to wherever the people were and would do annual assessments of their status. He would then take that information and report it back to the court. This included any situation where a person was awarded to the court.

The last achievement Mr. Adley received was the Accommodation Letter for the Joint Commissions of Hospitals and Facilities. Mr. Adley spent his life serving, caring for, and enhancing the lives of those suffering from mental disabilities, mental illness, children and seniors in Stark County for over 65 years. The efforts and programs he developed are still in existence to this day.

Mr. Adley is now 90 years young and is STILL teaching and coaching everyone he meets. He is truly an amazing man. Not only did he do all the above for Stark County, but he is also an Army Veteran. He has been given the following awards for his service to this country:

  • Purple Heart
  • Combat Badge
  • Defense of the Country
  • Marksman Badge
  • Expert Rifle Medal
  • Korean Veterans Medal

Mr. Adley is an amazing American and an amazing senior citizen of Stark County, and of The Inn at Belden Village where he calls home!

This tribute to Mr. Adley’s accomplishments was written by Johna Purvis, Director of Marketing & Admissions at The Inn at Belden Village, who nominated him for the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame Award.