Community
Unapologetically Adams: Part 2
July 29, 2026 by Jake Nichols
This is the second part of a three-part series on Terry Adams, a west Knoxville businessman and musician.
When Terry Adams decided to go to law school, he enrolled in Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in Memphis – only to start Admiral Law and Admiral Title the same year he graduated.
“I had a really strong background in business and understood what it took to build a business from scratch,” Adams said. “I had a business plan and knew exactly what I was going to do, though it evolved more organically than I thought it would.
“My idea was an attorney-based title company where you have the benefit of legal expertise but with the attitude that our very first job is to find a way to get the deal done,” he continued. “So we were solutions-driven, and that really helped. I think a lot of people in our community looked and said, ‘Man, that is a benefit.’”
In time, both companies became Knoxville cornerstones, combining employees’ expertise with philanthropic endeavors ranging from the American Cancer Society to the Knoxville Zoo.
Adams even made a trip to Harvard University for his work, sitting in the same class as a Supreme Court justice from South America.
“There was an assumption, I could tell, that I wasn’t as smart because of my Southern accent,” he said. “And I could eliminate that immediately if I wanted to, but I don’t, because I like when people underestimate me.”
From Senate to sound
By 2013, that mindset had guided Adams to plenty of success in the legal field.
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July 29, 2026 by Jake Nichols
On the first tee at Scioto Country Club, Bradford Kuester experienced a moment he will cherish forever.
The date was Thursday, July 2, and Kuester — a 57-year-old golfer out of Cherokee Country Club in west Knoxville — was teeing off for the U.S. Senior Open in Columbus, Ohio.
When the starter announced his name, Kuester’s family and friends brought cheers that drew acclaim to the rest of the tournament.
Once off, he competed against players he had watched on television for 30 years prior: Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh and Padraig Harrington, the eventual back-to-back winner of the tournament.
“It was fantastic,” Kuester said. “From the moment they announced me when the tournament started and friends and family are yelling, it was so cool to have that. It was a surreal experience.”
But, the sequence would not have happened without Kuester’s belief and persistence, which carried him to heights he had always dreamed.
A graduate of Greeneville High School, Kuester launched his career at Middle Tennessee State University, where he became an All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) selection.
He became an assistant golf pro at Bluegrass Country Club, then moved on to Cherokee as its assistant pro from 1993 to 1998. But meeting his wife Meredith led Kuester away from the life of a full-time golfer.
“Knowing that in the country club business, you work all holidays, I got out of the golf business and went to sell anything from toilet paper to urinal cakes cleaning products,” said Kuester, who has done that since 1999.
Still, he hit the links for club championships at Cherokee and the national level.
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July 29, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
Christina Nguyen, co-owner of the family-owned Angel Nails, did not want to just win a title when she was crowned Mrs. Universal Petite on a cruise, Margaritaville at Sea, June 28, she wanted to empower girls to make their own dreams come true.
“I still can’t believe it,” she said about winning the Mrs. Universal Petite Pageant. “It’s over a week now, but still
feel that I’m still dreaming. I can’t believe that one day I can walk on an international stage and I brought home the big crown.
“My daughter and my former foster daughter are really proud of me,” she said.
On July 10, Nguyen headed to Chicago to be a supporter for all the contestants for Mrs. Petite USA, which took place the weekend of July 11-12.
“I will definitely continue with my mission, my platform, White Lotus Rising, and with my title, I will be able to expand it internationally,” she said, explaining White Lotus Rising refers to the flower that grows in muddy water and still thrives. Nguyen’s message is to empower young girls, including sexual assault survivors, to believe in themselves.
“No matter what life does to them, they can grow and be resilient like the flower,” she added.
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