Who was Cedric Adams?
A true Minnesota icon, Cedric Adams' name was known by almost everyone in the Upper Midwest in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Cedric's folksy humor and infectious laugh, as well as his provincial style, endeared him to his audiences.
Known as 'the hardest working journalist in the world,' at one point he did 54 radio shows, eight television broadcasts, and 15 newspaper columns a week! Upon his death at age 58 in 1961, one fan of Cedric's said it was like losing his "daily companion of 30 years."
This lens is a compilation of Internet resources on Cedric, and will also help you to find his books and other memoribilia for sale. Please make an entry in the guestbook below to share your memories of Cedric!
Pavek Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inductee
Cedric Adams was inducted in to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2002. Check out their site for info about him, sound clips and a photo gallery!Pavek Museum of Broadcasting
Cedric's oldest son, David Adams, with wife
CJ Lee at the induction ceremony in 2002.
Audio Clips from the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting
- Remembering Cedric Adams
- WCCO remembrance on the morning after Cedric's death at age 58 in 1961.
- Tribute to Cedric Adams by Roger Erickson
- Featuring many crack-up outtakes! Oh, Peterson.... go home!
(This one's got a few words in it that are "not for kids").
Pause and Refresh
Audio Clips of Cedric Reading the News on WCCO
- Cedric Adams Noon Newscast January 19, 1945
- News of Stalin's advance into Poland; President Roosevelt about to begin 4th term of office; interview with harried White House housekeeper, one Mrs. Nesbitt of Duluth, Minnesota, who has the difficult job of planning inaugural festivities in wartime; new streetcar making debut in Minneapolis today seats more people.
- Cedric Adams Nighttime News, 1956
- Lots of school closings due to winter storm (but Canby will have its class play-- "Oh you brave thespians!"). News of Suez campaign in the Middle East.
Minneapolis Star and Tribune Ad
Cedric's Final Resting Place(s)
Both real-world and virtual....
Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, MinnesotaBeautiful and historic Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis is where Cedric Adams is buried. Click the link, click on "Map", then on "Self-Guided Tour and Map", then on "Online Self-Guided Tour" and follow the arrows to the far southeastern corner, where Cedric's grave is marked "KK". Click the KK and see a picture of Cedric's headstone, and read his bio.
Find-a-Grave.com
The online memorial to dearly departed loved ones, including Cedric. Leave virtual flowers, or even a message if you'd like!
Cedric Trivia Quiz
(Answers at bottom of lens).
- What was the name of Cedric's daily column?
a. As I See It
b. In This Corner
c. From My Point of View - What was Cedric's wife's name?
a. Margaret (Peggy)
b. Mildred (Billie)
c. Berniece (Niecy) - Cedric would often broadcast from his boat on Lake Minnetonka. What was the name of his boat?
a. Adam 12
b. Lady of the Lake
c. Adam-X - Where was Cedric born?
a. Magnolia, Minnesota
b. Adrian, Minnesota
c. Minneapolis, Minnesota - Cedric and his wife had:
a. Two daughters
b. Three sons
c. No children - Cedric often subbed for which famous person on his national TV show?
a. Art Linkletter
b. Edward R. Murrow
c. Arthur Godfrey - Cedric attended which college?
a. St. Cloud State
b. University of Minnesota
c. Cedric did not attend college - When Cedric died at the age of 58, he had how many grandchildren?
a. none
b. two
c. nine
Cedric Adams Books on Amazon
Books by or about Cedric
Everybody called him Cedric,
1970 biography of Cedric, produced by Twin City Federal.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009) 
Cedric Adams album: Celebrating 25 years with radio and newspaper
A commemorative look at Cedric's first 25 years in radio.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009)
The story of McGarvey's Flame Room Coffee
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009)
Cedric Adams reports on 25 years of natural gas progress: A story about Northern Natural Gas Company
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009)
Miscellaneous Cedric Links
- Minnesota Historical Society Visual Resources Database
- There are some really awesome photos here-- none of which I can show you because they're too expensive for me to buy the rights to post them!
Click to check out: Cedric in the busy newsroom of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, Cedric and his wife Niecy working at home (publicity shot), Cedric in his bathrobe working at home (and believe me, with a schedule like his, he worked from home a lot! And from his boat, and from wherever he was!) These great pictures plus lots more! - StarTribune
- Cedric's bio at the StarTribune (which was the Minneapolis Star and the Minneapolis Tribune back in his day). He wrote columns for both.
- Memories Mooched from Fellow Columnist
- GREAT article about Cedric, written for the River Falls Journal, by former StarTribune columnist Dave Wood. Filled with anecdotes, and talks about Cedric's book Poor Cedric's Almanac.
- WCCO Radio Ad
- Full page ad featuring Cedric top and center.
- Inspirations and Legends
- A list of 150 influential Minnesotans compiled by the Pioneer Press in 2000.
- The Flanagan Memo: September 2, 2007
- Longtime StarTribune columnist Babs Flangan shares a snippet about Cedric.
Dishes Named for Cedric
There was even a restaurant in Minneapolis with a menu item named for Cedric. Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale (owned by Cedric's close friend Chuck Saunders) had the Cedric Adams sandwich!
Here are links to some of the dishes. As one person says with her recipe listing, these are "not necessarily for the 'foodie' out there". Mostly good home-cooked comfort food.
Cedric Adams Hotdish
Made with cabbage-- this one is not pretty, but supposedly tasty (if you like cabbage, I guess!)
Cedric Dishes on Amazon
Hot Dish Heaven: Classic Casseroles from Midwest Kitchens
You too can dine like the stars with such dazzling feasts as Phoebe's Peach Noodle Kugle from the childhood kitchen of comedian Al Franken and the Cedric Adams Hot Dish, named after the late Broadcasting Hall of Famer once known as the "voice of the Upper Midwest." Author Burckhardt gives us the history of each dish, the classic variations, and ideas for cooking and sharing in today's busy world.
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $16.95
Used Price: $8.08
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Blogging Cedric
- Cedric Adams: In Memoriam
Any Given Sunday, In The Obits March 7, 2007
One of my regular reading stops is the obituary column of several newspapers. I tend to recognize more names these days for some reason, too many friends, lately. This tiny memoriam in the February 18th Sunday Minneapolis Tribune caught my eye.- Garrison Keillor letter
This is someone's blog about radio. The blogger quotes a Garrison Keillor letter to his Prairie Home Companion audience in which he talks about growing up in Minnesota listening to the radio. Mentions Cedric.
Cedric Adams Memorabilia on eBay
Auctions only
Soemtimes you find something, sometimes not. Check back often, as this module updates automatically!
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Amazon Books that Reference Cedric Adams
Some just a paragraph, others a chapter or more!
Public Radio: Behind the Voices
Amazon Price: $20.75 (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $25.00
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Minnesota Memories
Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $12.95
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When 'CCO was Cookin' Book
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $14.95
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Minnesota Memories 3
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $13.95
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Television in America: Local Station History from Across the Nation
Amazon Price: (as of 07/13/2009)
List Price: $42.99
WCCO Radio - 60 Years Strong
(From the 1980s)
eBay Store Items Relating to Cedric
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Share your memories of Cedric or your connection to him!
paperfacets wrote...
Hotdish! In California it is called casserole. It is very big in the snow bound states.
I have not heard of Cedric. My parents moved from MN in 1954. You have a famous grandfather! Wow. 5*.
Posted November 04, 2008
IludiumPhosdex wrote
Stop me if you've heard this story:
Back when Taystee Bread sponsored Cedric's 10 o'clock news on WCCO, he was doing a commercial for Svenska Limpa bread where Cedric mispronounced the name--and, in so doing, unleashed such demand that Taystee couldn't keep up with it.
Posted December 16, 2007
WhitePineLane wrote...
Fun to hear from someone who worked w/Cedric! I asked my dad and he said there were a few restaurants in the Cities w/a "Cedric Adams sandwich"- and that they were not all the same sandwich. We know Cedric loved to eat- maybe it was just whatever his favorite sandwich was at each different place!
Posted July 12, 2007
jeanne johnson wrote
Cedric and I made a recording waybackwhen I was Barbara Bayne on WLOL..and he was already famous.
But my inquiry is about the Cedric Adams Sandwich. I just enjoyed it at the Lexington in St Paul...but in my memory there was a slice of ham,,then chicken..mushrooms and cheese sauce..jmj3811@yahoo.com
Posted July 11, 2007
razorback wrote...
Excellent! Living history. I am from the South so I wasn't aware of Cedric but we have our local heros as well so I really appreciate the importance of lenses like this. Keep it up!
Posted November 26, 2006
Worldwide Hit Map
Where in the world are people searching for information on Cedric Adams? Check out this worldwide map of hits to this lens since October 7, 2006. Cool!Answers to the Cedric Trivia Quiz
- What was the name of Cedric's daily column?
b. In This Corner - What was Cedric's wife's name?
c. Bernice (Niecy)
Bernice Lenont married Cedric Adams in her home town of Virginia, Minnesota in 1931. Niecy passed away at her winter home in Borrego Springs, California, in 1987. - Cedric would often broadcast from his boat on Lake Minnetonka. What was the name of his boat?
c. Adam-X
This one is debated. It is listed in Cedric's biography as the Adams-X, but my dad (Cedric's son) says it was the Adam-X. In any case, it was the biggest boat on Lake Minnetonka at the time, and had to be brought to the Minnetonka Boatworks in Wayzata by rail. It had a small kitchen and sleeping quarters, and the boys would often stay on the boat in the summertime. (My mom was a soda jerk at the drug store across the street from the boatworks, and that's how my parents met!) - Where was Cedric born?
a. Adrian, Minnesota
When Cedric was two, his family moved seven miles west to Magnolia, Minnesota, where he would spend most of his childhood. In the 1950s, Cedric and Niecy returned to his home town to be crowned the "Duke and Duchess of Magnolia." - Cedric and his wife had:
b. Three sons
David, Cedric Jr. (Ric), and Stephen. Cedric often wrote about his family, and many columns were addressed to my dad (the eldest son) and would start out, "Climb upon my knee, David." - Cedric often subbed for which famous person on his national TV show?
c. Arthur Godfrey
Cedric was courted by NBC to move to New York to compete with Godfrey, to which he reportedly replied, "Why would I do that? I like Godfrey!" Cedric and Arthur Godfrey became good friends. (Listen to Arhtur Godfrey's eulogy of Cedric in my link above). Although he could have gone national, Cedric remained in Minnesota throughout his career, making him even more of a hero to midwesterners. - Cedric attended which college?
b. University of Minnesota
Cedric attended the University of Minnesota, where he began his writing career. - When Cedric died at the age of 58, he had how many grandchildren?
b. two
At the time of his death, Cedric had two grandsons. Three more grandchildren were born the year he died (1961) and four more would follow, for a total of nine. He now has (I believe I'm correct on this) sixteen great-grandchildren. (Thanks to my cousin Steve for correcting me on this! XO!)
by WhitePineLane
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