K. Lynne Adams
Career hospital administrator known for putting patients first was active in Baltimore's Lauraville neighborhood
K. Lynne Adams, a retired medical administrator and vice president of University of Maryland/Upper Chesapeake Health, died of cancer March 7 at her Towson home.
The former Lauraville resident was 62.
Born Karen Lynne Herman in Baltimore and raised in White Marsh and Perry Hall, she was the daughter of Frederick Allen Herman, a tool and die maker, and Madalyn Osborne, a lab assistant at Procter and Gamble.
She was a 1971 graduate of Perry Hall High School, where she was active in journalism. In 1970, she was been named honor queen of Jobe's Daughters in Perry Hall.
After studying at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, she earned a bachelor's degree in health services management at Towson University. She also received a master's degree from Greenwood University.
As a student, she worked in medical records at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and rose through the ranks of hospital leadership.
She joined the utilization review section at then-Fallston General Hospital and also served as quality assurance director.
She remained in medical administration and was recruited by Maryland General Hospital, where she served as director of quality management.
She returned to Fallston General in 1993 as director of quality and health information management.
In 2011, she was named vice president of performance improvement at the hospital, whose name was changed to University of Maryland/Upper Chesapeake Health. She retired in 2015 when her health declined.
“Lynne earned our respect as a leader,” Lyle E. Sheldon, the hospital's chief executive officer, said in a statement. He said Ms. Adams was “seen as a partner to other departments, and always articulated her vision with the well-being of our patients as the driver of her passion.”
“Her objectives focused on the quality and safety of the care we provide to our patients,” said Mr. Sheldon.
“Lynne, throughout her three-decades-long career, leaves a lasting imprint at the hospital.”
“With Lynne, the patient came first,” said Jane Gordon, a Havre de Grace resident and Upper Chesapeake colleague. “She was high-energy. She always looked for the thing to make a situation better. Her peers looked up to her. She trained many who listened to her sound advice.”
Ms. Adams also served on the board of the Sexual Assault Recovery Center in Bel Air.
“She was known for infectious laugh. She faced life with optimism and determination,” said Moira Schwartz, a friend from high school days who lives in Towson.
Ms. Schwartz recalled that her friend was fond of gardening “and loved to entertain at dinner parties.”
In addition, she said, Ms. Adams “began going to the theater when she was 10 — and never stopped.”
Family members remembered how she wanted to buy and renovate an old house in the city. She found a frame residence on Parkview Terrace in Lauraville, which she bought and refurbished extensively, working with her life partner, James McAllen.
The residence adjoined Herring Run Park, and Ms. Adams later represented her community on the Herring Run Park Trail redesign project.
She was also an officer and board member of the Lauraville Improvement Association.
“She was a wonderful hostess at her house. She was a vibrant, helpful member of the community,” said Chris Muldowney, a Lauraville resident. “She worked with Baltimore Heritage to design a Lauraville history tour, and the tickets were sold out. For that tour, she began taking oral histories. The work that she did helped the rejuvenation of the community.”
“She was classy in style, had impeccable taste and found humor in everyday situations. We laughed all the time,” said a cousin, Susan Lorraine Otradovec, an Ellicott City resident. “Her
Her son, Jeremy Rosendale, a United Way director, recalled his mother's ability to keep in touch with her friends.
“She loved her family and kept her friends for years. She also liked to explore new places through travel,” said Mr. Rosendale. “Over the years, she had been to London, Ireland, New Orleans, Lake Tahoe and Savannah.
“For my 30th birthday, she took me to Paris,” he recalled. “It was one of her favorite destinations.”
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. today at Christ Lutheran Church, 701 S. Charles St., where she was a member.
In addition to her son and her life partner, survivors include her mother, Madalyn Petroff of Perry Hall; a brother, Allen Herman of Ellicott City; and a grandson. Her previous marriages ended in divorce.
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