PASSINGS : Richard C. Adams; Inventor of Paint Roller

Richard C. Adams, 76, inventor of the paint roller. Adams, a descendant of the presidential Adams family, produced the first paint roller in a basement workshop in 1940. He was part of the marketing department at Sherwin-Williams when he invented and patented the gadget that has since become standard equipment for painters. Adams had a wide-ranging career that included experience as an engineer, a developer, a banker and a cowboy in Arizona. A native of Cleveland and a graduate of Yale, Adams settled in San Diego after World War II and became a patron of the arts. He was a trustee of the San Diego Museum of Art and later was president of the Old Globe Theatre. In San Diego on Wednesday after suffering a stroke at home.