Boots Adams

Kenneth Stanley "Boots" Adams
Born	Template:Birth date Horton, Kansas, U.S.
Died	March 30, 1975(1975-03-30) (aged 75) Bartlesville, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Business executive, philanthropist
Years active	1920–1970
Known for	President and CEO of Phillips Petroleum Company

Kenneth Stanley "Boots" Adams (August 31, 1899 – March 30, 1975) was a prominent American business executive and philanthropist who operated out of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. His professional journey began in 1920 at Phillips Petroleum Company where he started as a warehouse clerk. In 1932, the company's founder, Frank Phillips, appointed him as Assistant to the President. On April 26, 1938, Adams was elected president of Phillips Petroleum by unanimous board vote.

At just 38 years old, Adams became one of the youngest individuals to lead a major corporation in the United States. He held the position of CEO until his retirement in 1964 but continued as chairman of the board until 1968 and remained on the board until 1970. During his tenure, Phillips Petroleum saw substantial growth through strategic investments in methane gas and synthetic rubber.

Early life

Adams was born on August 31, 1899, in Horton, Kansas, as the son of John V. Adams, an engineer with the Rock Island Railroad, and Lavella Adams (née Stanley). His nickname "Boots" was inspired by a family visitor who observed that he wore boots even while sleeping.

He graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1917, coinciding with the founding year of Phillips Petroleum by brothers Lee Eldas "L.E." and Frank Phillips. After completing high school, Adams worked delivering ice in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Later that year, he enrolled at the University of Kansas, where he participated in football, baseball, and basketball before leaving in 1920 to join Phillips Petroleum.

On September 8, 1920, Adams married Barbara Blanche Keeler; her brother, W. W. Keeler, would eventually serve as president and CEO of Phillips Petroleum and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Their eldest son, Kenneth S. Jr., became a notable entrepreneur and owner of the Tennessee Titans. Following his divorce from Barbara in 1945, Adams remarried Dorothy Glynn Stephens in 1946.

Career at Phillips Petroleum

In 1921, Boots Adams played a key role in forming the Phillips 66ers, an amateur basketball team sponsored by Phillips Petroleum, and was part of its original roster. This connection helped secure his employment with the company beginning as a warehouse clerk in 1920. Adams advanced swiftly to become one of the youngest presidents leading a major American corporation.

Early executive years

Adams joined Phillips Petroleum’s executive leadership in 1932 when founder Frank Phillips appointed him assistant despite internal resistance from employees who doubted their partnership. Although initially skeptical of Adams’ initiatives, Frank Phillips told him: "I'm going to object to everything you do, but you go ahead and do it anyway."

Adams revitalized the company's amateur basketball team by recruiting Olympians Joe Fortenberry and Jack Ragland for the 1937 season. That year, the Phillips 66ers secured first place and were top competitors in the AAU tournament. In recognition of his contributions to basketball, Adams was inducted into the Helms Foundation Amateur Basketball Hall of Fame in 1958.

Despite frequent disagreements over management strategies between Adams and Frank Phillips, Adams earned Phillips’ trust and authority to execute his vision. At the annual meeting in 1938, Frank Phillips announced his retirement and endorsed Adams as his successor; this recommendation received unanimous approval from the board.

Tenure as Company President

During his presidency, Adams concentrated on broadening Phillips Petroleum's portfolio by entering nascent sectors linked to oil. The firm increased its acquisition of methane gas extraction rights, which in 1938 were undervalued as a secondary product of oil drilling. This strategic investment substantially raised earnings once methane’s market price more than doubled by the conclusion of World War II.

Adams championed innovative enterprises such as Pace Setter, which advocated for contemporary residences outfitted with gas-powered appliances, capitalizing on the rising utilization of methane gas. By 1955, Phillips had amassed control over methane reserves estimated at 13.3 trillion cubic feet, with an approximate value of . Dividends climbed steadily, pleasing investors, while employee wages rose in tandem with the company’s growing profitability.

He emphasized recruiting graduates from various scientific fields to strengthen the company’s research division. Geologist Jack Graves’ analysis of the Mississippi Chat formation resulted in substantial new oil finds over a three-year period.

Adams also pursued diversification into petrochemical production, generating additional revenue streams through research into synthetic petroleum-based polymers. Noticing advancements at firms like DuPont and Dow, he propelled Phillips into the development of synthetic rubber.

Although producing synthetic rubber involved high costs and initially yielded quality inferior to natural rubber, Adams remained confident that petrochemical polymerization techniques would ultimately prevail despite alternative methods relying on different chemical agents.

U.S. Synthetic Rubber Program

When the United States entered World War II, access to natural rubber from Southeast Asia was severed. The government had created the Rubber Reserve Company (RRC) to accumulate rubber stockpiles, but its reserve of one million tons was insufficient compared to an annual military demand of approximately 600,000 tons. Achieving victory hinged on producing synthetic rubber in massive quantities. Success was quantified by output tonnage—either sufficient synthetic rubber would support Allied forces or shortages would threaten the war effort.

Boots Adams dedicated Phillips Petroleum’s assets to the initiative known as GR-S (Government Rubber-Styrene). The program’s accomplishments were significant for all involved parties. On August 29, 1998, GR-S (the U.S. Synthetic Rubber Program) received recognition as a National Historic Chemical Landmark. Its documentation is preserved at the University of Akron in Ohio.

By the early 2000s, synthetic rubber had evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry, with Phillips—now operating as ConocoPhillips—maintaining a prominent share of the market.

Divestiture of Subsidiaries

Beginning in 1948, Adams initiated the process of spinning off various diversified assets from Phillips while retaining majority control and profit participation. The initial subsidiary created was Phillips Chemical Company. In 1951, this entity secured essential patents for polyethylene and advanced its development into high-density polyethylene (HDPE). This innovation gave rise to Marlex, a resilient HDPE polyolefin plastic that was commercially marketed. Marlex gained widespread popularity when Wham-O utilized it for their Hula Hoop, which sold over 25 million units within its first four months.

The chemical division remained profitable and continues to generate revenue from Bartlesville operations. Following the 2000 merger with Chevron, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company now functions as an equal joint venture—sharing expenses and profits equally between both companies. The company’s name was decided by a coin flip, which Chevron won, resulting in their name appearing first.

The Adams Building

In 1949, Adams unified the company’s previously dispersed operations, which had been spread across 38 different sites, into a singular 12-story headquarters encompassing 457,000 square feet. The Adams building, designed by Neville and Sharp from Kansas City, Missouri, occupied an entire city block in Bartlesville. The city honored Adams by renaming Seventh Street to Adams Street and, in 1962, by inaugurating the Adams Municipal Golf Course. As of 2014, all three landmarks continue to carry his name.

Retirement

After serving as company president for 44 years, Boots Adams stepped down in 1964. The following year, Bartlesville celebrated his 66th birthday with a parade and a civic holiday, temporarily closing schools and renaming the town Bootsville for the occasion. A prominent feature of the festivities was a large cake modeled after an oil storage tank adorned with the Phillips 66 emblem.

Among the distinguished guests was President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a close friend who had benefited from Adams’ involvement in the GR-S program. Eisenhower presented Adams with a portrait portraying him as chairman of Phillips 66’s board; this artwork remains a treasured family possession.

Also attending was W. Clarke Wescoe, then chancellor of the University of Kansas, who announced that a new residential complex on campus would be named the Adams Center in tribute to Adams’ contributions. Stanley Learned, Adams’ successor and fellow KU alumnus, made a donation to the university as an expression of gratitude.

Death and Legacy

Boots Adams passed away on March 30, 1975, in Bartlesville and was laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery. During his tenure, Phillips Petroleum transformed from a modest company into a dominant industry leader employing over 28,000 workers and managing 8,000 miles of pipeline.

Bibliography

• Ingham, John N. Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders. "Adams, Kenneth Stanley." (1983) Greenwood Press. (v. 1). Available on Google Books.
• Knowles, Ruth Sheldon (1980). The Greatest Gamblers: The Epic of American Oil Exploration. University of Oklahoma Press.
• Atta, Dale Van (2008). With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics. University of Wisconsin Press.
• Penick, Monica Michelle (2007). The Pace Setter Houses: Livable Modernism in Postwar America. ProQuest Publishing Company.
• Robbins, Louise S. (2001). The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown: Civil Rights, Censorship, and the American Library. University of Oklahoma Press.
• Wallis, Michael (1988). Oil Man: The Story Of Frank Phillips & The Birth Of Phillips Petroleum. Doubleday.
• Perkins, Scott W. (2008). Building Bartlesville, (OK): 1945–2000. Arcadia Publishing.
• Grundman, Adolph H. (2004). The Golden Age of Amateur Basketball: The Aau Tournament, 1921–1968. University of Nebraska Press.

Further reading

• Lobsenz, Norman M. (1965). The Boots Adams story. Phillips Petroleum Company.

External links

• Photograph showing Boots Adams with Frank Phillips and Phillips' wife