Biography: Judith Katherine Adams McClain of Little Rock died April 19, 2020.  Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1943, Judith was predeceased by her mother, Kay Adams, and stepfather, Harry Adams.  Her birth father, Bob Green, was killed during World War II in 1944 in the Philippines and was awarded the Purple Heart and Gold Star for his bravery.
 
Judith is survived by two sons John McClain (Ria) of Portland, Oregon, and Scott McClain of Austin Texas, her sister Leigh Adams (Paul Guinn) of Houston, Texas, and her grandchildren Cheyenne Ruth, Francis McClain, Theo McClain, Pilar McClain, Nolan McClain, and Caleb McClain. They are the joys of her life.
 
In Fort Smith High School, she was a member of the National Sorority Delta Beta Sigma and was the Delta Sigma Sweetheart, President of the Columbians, three-year member of the National Honor Society, and three-year member of the Student Council.  She graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where she was named the Outstanding Freshman with the highest grade point in the College of Education.  She was an Army ROTC Sponsor, first runner up to Miss University of Arkansas, on the Panhellenic Council and a proud member of Chi Omega.
 
Judith enjoyed a 30-year fruitful career in the Houston architectural community working with such prominent firms as ISD Incorporated and Senior Vice President and partner at FKP.  While in Houston she was recruited by UAMS, happily returned to Arkansas and served 10 years as the Executive Director of Medical Alumni Association at the College of Medicine where she retired in 2015.
 
Always involved in her community wherever she lived including Fort Smith, Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Houston, Boulder and Austin, Judith participated in an array of non-profit organizations such as the Colorado Chautauqua Association and the Houston Sesquicentennial Park Fundraising and Celebration of the groundbreaking.  She headed the fundraiser to create the first Houston Downtown Mounted Patrol, created the initiative responsible for placing Christmas lights on the top of downtown Houston buildings. The other four skylines followed. She served on the Boards of Directors of the Houston Downtown YMCA, the Rice Design Alliance, the Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center, Women of the West Museum, and the Vestries of Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, and Christ Episcopal Church, Little Rock.
 
Judith relished both spiritual and physical adventures. She chanted with the Buddhists, drummed with Native Americans, bowed to the Four Winds on a New Mexico mountain top, danced with the Whirling Dervishes, read Tarot cards, experienced Reiki, Rolfing, and Rebirthing, lived alone in a tent practicing Tai Chi for 6 days, practiced silent meditation in a hail storm, backpacked the Tetons, snow skied, skied cross country, went snow shoeing and dog sledding, and rafted many white water rivers.  She loved to read and sing and laugh, and had an amazing zest for life.
 
She felt passionately that everything in God’s world belongs:  the ethereal, the ephemeral, the natural, and the magical.  She valued friendships in all walks of life from the grocery clerk to the CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies. To Judith, friends were God’s angels.  Her personal mission statement was that she wanted to make people feel better about themselves than they had before they met.
 
A Houston co-worker described Judith saying, “ What I value the most is the toughness with which you adhere to your principles, argue with me about issues you hold dear, that we can disagree while maintaining respect for each other and not allow a difference of opinion to interfere with collaboration – or respect.”  
A friend says, “I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me personally to have met her.  She is truly an amazing woman of courage and strength.”  Another said, “She epitomizes true grace and dignity.”  A third friend said, “Your essence…will leave a big empty spot in my heart that has your face, your eyes, your smile, and your laughter… I’ll fill that empty space with activities to honor your life and your memory – art, music, great books and movies, prayer, meditation, great food, laughter, anything that is inherently beautiful will be you visiting me.
 
Since organization was her strong suit, she prepared a post-death “to do” list for herself before realizing … uh oh … she wouldn’t be here to do it.
 
Services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, Little Rock, on a later date. Burial will be at Crease Close at the church followed by a reception. ALL ARE INVITED.
 
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorials be given to the Heifer Project, at Heifer.org or mailed to 1 World Avenue, Little Rock, AR  72202, or to Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. Arrangements are under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com