Editor’s Note: “Stories from strangers” is a bi-weekly column that features people regularly seen on campus who aren’t affiliated with Point Loma Nazarene University. This series seeks to share their stories, understand what draws them to PLNU and serve as a reminder that every stranger has a story worth hearing.
If you ever see a mighty-looking duo walking Point Loma Nazarene University’s campus and the trails lining Sunset Cliffs, that could be local resident David Adams and his 160-pound Cane Corso named Koa. David, who goes by Dave, grew up in Walnut Creek, a town east of San Francisco. He and a friend moved into a house at the top of Ladera Street, overlooking Garbage Beach, in 1976, when Adams was 21 years old.
Adams is now 70 and is working in the field of orthodontics. He completed 13 years of higher education and got his master’s in facial growth and development. In 1989, he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in pediatrics and completed his education a year later and became a licensed dentist with a specialization in orthodontics.
The Point: How did you end up picking your career?
Dave Adams: I went to San Diego State for marine biology originally, and I didn’t like it, so I went to a career counselor, and they said, ‘What do you want?’ At the time, I was surfing all the time, so I said I want to live on Sunset Cliffs and be able to walk to surf … and he said, ‘You need to go back to school.’ All my surf buddies just told me that I should sleep in my Volkswagen Van, but I said, ‘No, I’m going for it.’
TP: Did you make good friendships in college, and did you stay in touch with any of them?
DA: Yeah, I got through [UCLA], made some good friends … that was the best thing. Clark — he was the one who sold me this dog. We ended up being roommates, and then there was Kenny, who comes down here quite a bit, but he was our other roommate. Dave Hornbrook, who is a very famous cosmetic dentist. We were always competing for grades in school. I moved into a house with him, too. He was a smart guy. That house that all four of us lived in, I stayed there, all throughout [orthodontist] school.
TP: How did you balance social life and studying for orthodontist school? What were some ways that you and your friends managed your stress?
DA: At UCLA and at [SDSU], we had to have A’s. You had to be at the top. We complained because it was a really grueling thing, taking 25 to 26 units those first two years. We would run; we used to call ourselves the ‘midnight striders.’ We’d be stressed; we’d be in class all night, scarf down some food, study for a bit and then run. We’d surf on the weekends, we would go up to Ventura and surf on California Street up there. It was great. Then I was always down here [San Diego] every weekend. We’d carpool down here and make flashcards, quizzing each other the whole drive instead of sitting with our heads in a book. You still have to have a life; you have to find that balance.
TP: What is your philosophy on the correlation between money and happiness?
DA: To me, money is freedom. I still live like a student, but I have a lot of money. I wouldn’t say money buys happiness; my viewpoint is that I don’t need a lot of money. I live simply, but I have great friends, a great environment, a nice car, but I don’t need everything in my life to be pristine. You have to balance that.
TP: After living near PLNU for so many years, what is your impression of the campus and the students?
DA: I think everyone is so nice, and that everyone is Christian. Everyone at UC schools have tunnel vision. This is a smaller college, and the sporting teams are small. Also, you guys are in the middle of the surfing culture. I used to always say, ‘The closer you are to the coast, the nicer you are’ because you smell the roses every day. I think students here have a better balance because you’re surrounded by nature — it is right here in front of you.
TP: Would you say college was the best years of your life, or did life get better for you after?
DA: I think college really is a special time; it’s something you need to be grateful for. It wasn’t always easy, but you don’t have a family yet or the responsibilities that come with that. It’s a time to figure out who you are and what you want to do; life only gets harder from here. I like where I was in college, and I like the life I have now. My advice to people in college is to find good people to surround yourself with. These people become your new family when you are away.
Sydney Brammer