On September 13, 2008, the Adam family of Hancock County experienced a devastating loss when 17-year-old Tanner died in a car accident.
Since his untimely death, the family has transformed their tragedy into something inspiring and beneficial for career and technology high school students in three counties.
Tanner is the son of Brian “Hooty” and Laura Adam. His brothers are Trevor and his twin Taylor.
After Tanner’s accident, his father said his friends wanted to honor their friend’s memory by raising money.
“At the time, we didn’t know what to do with the money,” Hooty said. “We decided to start a scholarship memorial fund in his honor.”
The Tanner Adam Memorial Fund was created. In order to raise more for the scholarship fund, the family began the Tanner Adam Memorial Softball Tournament.
Through this fund, the family has awarded more than $31,000 in scholarships to students in Hancock, Harrison and Pearl River Counties in eight years.
Deciding whom the funds should benefit was easy for the family because of Tanner’s love for metal trade classes at Hancock High School’s Career and Technical Center.
Tanner’s aunt, Lisa Ross, one of the event’s organizers, said the focus of the scholarship is to change a young adult’s life.
“There are not that many technical or trade scholarships,” Ross said. “The scholarships are given out based on a student’s character and financial need. We ask the instructors for a list of names and Laura, Tanner’s mom, makes the final decision based on instructor input and really does her homework. Our goal is to be able to afford kids an opportunity to learn a skill that can support a family. Welders and machinists make a very good living in today’s world.”
Each year, up to three students are awarded a $3,000 scholarship, Ross said. In addition, $25,000 has been utilized for the purchase of equipment for welding and trades programs, she added.
Saturday, 19 teams competed in this year’s co-ed tournament, Tanner’s uncle, Don Necaise said It is the only fundraiser the family hosts for the scholarship fund.
The teams pay an entry fee to participate in the two-day event. It’s a double-elimination tournament, meaning they would have to lose twice.
Altogether about 67 local businesses sponsor the tournament, including Walmart, where Tanner and his twin Taylor worked at the time of the accident. Silver Slipper Casino and Cuevas Fish House also donate to the cause.
However, the main focus of the tournament is remembering Tanner, his uncle said.
“A lot of these boys knew Tanner and were good friends with him,” Necaise said. “He was very outgoing and loved the outdoors. He’d be out here playing ball, I can promise you.”
Trevor said his brother wasn’t afraid of anything and was a fun-loving individual.
“He liked playing ball,” Trevor said. “It was one of the things we did growing up with our dad. It was our bonding. He would give you the shirt off his back.”
Laura said the tournament and the memorial fund have developed just as she wanted them to.
“Since the accident, this community has been awesome,” she said. “We’ve been blessed.”
For more information about future tournaments, visit the Facebook page at Tanner Adam Memorial Fund.