Haverford School Receives A Special Treat From A Special Speaker

Adam Taliaferro won’t forget Sept. 23—he can’t. It’s the day, 11 years ago, that changed his life. Taliaferro was a true freshman starting for Penn State with aspirations of playing in the NFL when he suffered a debilitating injury, Sept. 23, 2000, in a game against Ohio State that ended his playing career and altered his passion.

Taliaferro didn’t need anything prepared in his hands Friday morning. There was no teleprompter or script to follow. He spoke to a filled auditorium from his heart, praising the merits of service to a rapt audience of teenage boys for close to 40 minutes. You couldn’t hear a whisper at the inaugural Joseph T. Cox Servant Leadership Symposium, which was part of the Haverford School’s Day of Honor.

Taliaferro recounted his compelling tale from paralysis and being unable to walk, to relearning basic physical functions and eventually becoming a practicing attorney with the ability to walk again. Haverford School presented Taliaferro with a Haverford School football jersey and a plaque for his service through his Adam Taliaferro Foundation. Taliaferro presented the Haverford School student body with an unforgettable morning.

“This day is about helping others,” Taliaferro addressed the crowd. “When you help others, it comes back to you. My passion is helping people. The person I am after the injury is far different than the person I was before the injury. My goal before the injury was football, football, football. My dream was to play in the NFL. What I learned to realize is that there are so many, many people willing to reach out and help you.

“Please take a minute to look around and notice all the service leaders around you. I thought to myself that if I was able to ever walk again, I was going to be one of those service leaders. I got back on my feet and football was over for me.”

Taliaferro told the students about another challenge, after recovering from his injury. Upon graduating from Penn State, he spoke about wanting to attend law school and become a lawyer.

“People looked at me like I was crazy,” Taliaferro recalled. “People will always try to put limitations on what they think you can do. But like anything else, if you’re determined and put your mind to it, I’m proof that you can do it. I put my mind to it and did it. It’s why I look back at my injury and why I want to share my story to help people.”

Taliaferro went to say how fortunate he was to meet actor Christopher
Reeve, who played Superman and on May 27, 1995, became a quadriplegic after being thrown from a horse in an equestrian competition. He received a letter from Reeve asking him to give him a call. The two spoke about Taliaferro’s injury.

“I went to Christopher Reeve’s home and I saw how hard he worked,” Taliaferro said. “He was very influential on me.”

At the conclusion, Taliaferro received a rousing standing ovation fromthe  crowd of middle school and high school students, mixed in with Haverford School coaches and faculty.

“I’m happy I did this, it was great to be honored today,” Taliaferro said afterwards to the Haverford-Havertown Patch. “There is always a little bit of nervousness when speaking to a group, because you don’t know how you’ll be accepted. Speaking and helping others now is my passion, and the law firm I work for is very supportive. I would love to get back into football, and I still go up to Penn State and watch my high school, Eastern [in Voorhees, New Jersey], still play. But with my job and my physical limitations, I couldn’t demonstrate the things I’d like to do. This is my way of giving back."