By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com  

I am saddened with the recent passing of one of my favorite boxing ladies, Gwen Adair. She passed away on April 30, 2026, at the age of 93.

In a field dominated by men, Gwen emerged as an outstanding referee and judge. She was licensed in 1980, becoming the first female in California to be a professional referee. She officiated over 800 boxing contests.

Prior to her boxing career, Gwen Farrell Adair, had acting roles  in episodes of M*A*S*H, Starsky and Hutch, and bit movie roles in Billy Jack Goes to Washington, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake, Black Gun, Coffy, and Soylent Green.

Gwen served as a member of the Board of Directors with the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and was honorably inducted in the Expanded Category as a Referee, in the class of 2005. She was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame, the National Boxing Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of the 2011 Golden State Boxers Association Don Fraser Lifetime Achievement Award.

Gwen was a trailblazing pioneer in women’s boxing, and knowing her as a friend was very special. She was one of kindest people I have ever met.

May her soul rest peacefully in heaven with the Lord.