FPRL’s Adam Dias Receives ALF Volunteer Award

Adam Dias of the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse was honored with a ALF Len Hadley Volunteer Award during the American Lighthouse Foundation’s annual Gala, which was held at the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine, on November 5, 2023.

Adam Dias

Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is a very fortunate chapter indeed. So many lighthouse chapters struggle to attract younger members with new ideas, but FPRL hit the jackpot when two young members of the Dias family came on board. When Dave Kelleher, a longtime chapter leadership committee member and former chairperson, gave a lecture to a group of elementary school students about Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, he piqued the interest of a young Alex Dias.

Alex’s younger brother, seven-year-old Adam, was also intrigued by the stories about his hometown lighthouse that his older brother shared. Since the lighthouse was decommissioned and the aid to navigation was moved to a skeleton tower, Adam, as a child, would keep checking to see if the light was shining from the lantern once again every time his parents drove past the lighthouse.  In his young mind, he had no idea of the many hours and fundraising efforts that were taking place at that time to restore the lighthouse to its former glory. The eventual return of the light to the lantern, and the completion of the exterior restoration, gave Adam the perfect opportunity to eventually become involved with an organization that had a dream of further restoration – and was not afraid to work hard to achieve it.

Adam’s interest in the lighthouse only grew with time, and as a teenager, he became a member of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse in 2014. He wasted no time participating in work parties where he cleaned, painted, removed debris, mowed the grass and did whatever else he was asked to do. And to this day, Adam has faithfully maintained the grounds outside the perimeter fence and is especially appreciated by his fellow work party volunteers for his dedicated control of the abundant poison ivy. In truth, the island has undoubtedly never looked better and the tourists often remark how well kept the property is.

Soon after joining FPRL, Adam began attending FPRL chapter meetings as a non-voting participant and was able to give a more youthful perspective on the subjects being discussed. He also assisted his older brother Alex with FPRL’s website and its newsletter, The Pomham Glow.  Adam took over as editor of the newsletter in 2020 and has improved its appearance, as well as the way it’s printed and its distribution. The FPRL membership looks forward to the newsletter’s publication and its informational articles thanks in large part to Adam’s hours of dedication to quality publishing.

Adam became a First Mate for the passenger launch in 2016 and continues in that position. He participates in launch safety training and maintenance and is quite proficient in his duties, never needing to be told what to do. While serving as First Mate during tour season, Adam also excelled as a museum docent for the lighthouse tours. He enthusiastically shared his intimate knowledge of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse with the tourists in a very professional and experienced manner, and always lent a hand in the gift shop operating the credit card terminal and keeping sales inventory.

After many years as a non-voting participant of the FPRL, Adam was voted onto the FPRL chapter leadership committee as a voting Member at Large in 2023. And this is where Adam’s talents and expertise really saved the day for the organization. FPRL’s treasurer, Mike Tripp, was unexpectedly going through some health issues and FPRL was without his services for several months. Undaunted, Adam enthusiastically stepped forward to temporarily take over the role as treasurer to help keep everything running smoothly.

His recent bachelor’s degree in economics, minor in business, and profession as an accountant all came at a perfect time because these qualifications were exactly what the chapter needed. Adam took over the duties as treasurer, clearing up past due issues, establishing a chapter-approved budget, generating monthly financial reports tracking and categorizing the income, expenditures, and overall financial activities. He not only assumed the role of treasurer; he absolutely outdid himself. So much so in fact, that when Mike returned, he asked that Adam take over officially as the treasurer.

So, when the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse nominated Adam Dias for the 2023 Len Hadley Volunteerism Award, it was not only for his youth and good looks. This young man’s knowledge, dedication, and devotion to his hometown lighthouse’s restoration and preservation deserve to be recognized as this chapter appreciates just how fortunate it is that Adam chose to play an active role in FPRL’s success.

We are pleased to honor Adam Dias with a 2023 Len Hadley Volunteer Award!