Major Edward Everett Adams Jr., is one of the "Monuments Men", that the 2014 movie starring George Clooney was modeled after.

On June 23, 1943, President Roosevelt approved the formation of the "American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas" known as "The Roberts Commission". This became the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives "MFAA" section, under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies.
The "Monuments Men" consisted of men and women volunteers from 13 countries, who had backgrounds in art, architecture and education.Their purpose was to protect as best they could, monuments, cultural and historic arts and treasures from being destroyed during World War II. It was a difficult and dangerous job, and some were killed in the line of duty.
The information they gave the allied armies about the locations of important historical places, helped determine where the allies attacked or avoided, taking the consideration of these locations before bombing forays were sent. The Monuments Men tracked, located, and restored over five million items stolen by Hitler and the Nazi Army, to the rightful owners. After returning home, many of these men and women played important roles in the building of some of the greatest cultural and educational institutions in the United States.

Little is known, or could be found about Major Adams outside the military. At the time of his death, he was an eighty nine year old widow, he died in a nursing home in Southern Pines, North Carolina and was cremated in that state. It is unknown where his ashes are.
Major Adams name and history with the organization are listed on the official Monuments Men Foundation website. He had been educated as an Interior Architect,and felt that gave him the necessary experience that the organization needed.In August of 1945, he successfully requested an assignment with the MFAA. In an article he wrote later, he said that "...the restitution of cultural art treasures to our allies promised to be an inspiring means of getting started on the way to reconstruction".
During the winter of th45, Major Adams was promoted to Director of the MFAA Evacuation Team for upper Bavaria. Under his direction, six thousand items were recovered by his evacuation team, from the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) repository at Neuschwanstein castle and the monastery at nearby Buxheim, and returned to France where they belonged. When he was returning to the United States, to begin his 'separation' from the military Major Adams was able to stop over in Paris and visit Musẻe de Jeu de Paume, which was preparing a special exhibition of the recovered French treasures. He said it gave him "great satisfaction" in recognizing many pieces his team had had a hand in returning.
After returning to the United States in 1946, Major Adams went to work at Steton and Adams Consulting Decorators in Washington, D.C. In 1982 he donated all of his papers to the National Gallery of Art. He returned to North Carolina, where he lived until his death.

An article Major Adams wrote, telling about his experience in his own words, can be found here:
http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/looted.htm

Major Edward Everett Adams Jr., is one of the "Monuments Men", that the 2014 movie starring George Clooney was modeled after.

On June 23, 1943, President Roosevelt approved the formation of the "American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas" known as "The Roberts Commission". This became the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives "MFAA" section, under the auspices of the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied Armies.
The "Monuments Men" consisted of men and women volunteers from 13 countries, who had backgrounds in art, architecture and education.Their purpose was to protect as best they could, monuments, cultural and historic arts and treasures from being destroyed during World War II. It was a difficult and dangerous job, and some were killed in the line of duty.
The information they gave the allied armies about the locations of important historical places, helped determine where the allies attacked or avoided, taking the consideration of these locations before bombing forays were sent. The Monuments Men tracked, located, and restored over five million items stolen by Hitler and the Nazi Army, to the rightful owners. After returning home, many of these men and women played important roles in the building of some of the greatest cultural and educational institutions in the United States.

Little is known, or could be found about Major Adams outside the military. At the time of his death, he was an eighty nine year old widow, he died in a nursing home in Southern Pines, North Carolina and was cremated in that state. It is unknown where his ashes are.
Major Adams name and history with the organization are listed on the official Monuments Men Foundation website. He had been educated as an Interior Architect,and felt that gave him the necessary experience that the organization needed.In August of 1945, he successfully requested an assignment with the MFAA. In an article he wrote later, he said that "...the restitution of cultural art treasures to our allies promised to be an inspiring means of getting started on the way to reconstruction".
During the winter of th45, Major Adams was promoted to Director of the MFAA Evacuation Team for upper Bavaria. Under his direction, six thousand items were recovered by his evacuation team, from the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) repository at Neuschwanstein castle and the monastery at nearby Buxheim, and returned to France where they belonged. When he was returning to the United States, to begin his 'separation' from the military Major Adams was able to stop over in Paris and visit Musẻe de Jeu de Paume, which was preparing a special exhibition of the recovered French treasures. He said it gave him "great satisfaction" in recognizing many pieces his team had had a hand in returning.
After returning to the United States in 1946, Major Adams went to work at Steton and Adams Consulting Decorators in Washington, D.C. In 1982 he donated all of his papers to the National Gallery of Art. He returned to North Carolina, where he lived until his death.

An article Major Adams wrote, telling about his experience in his own words, can be found here:
http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/looted.htm