There are those people who watch things happen and then there are those who make things happen. Ron Shriver is one of those people who makes things happen for this generation and the next.
One of the most humble students on campus has to be senior Ron Shriver, co-captain of the Cross Country team. A local, Shriver is a man recognized throughout the community for starting a program for children at the Westminster Road Runners Club. The program offers a quarter mile race for children. Since he and other parents like to bring their children to races, he says he just wanted to do something for them. His two kids join the McDaniel cross country team during the week on runs and on the weekends at competitions. His wife, Jennifer Shriver, is a recent graduate of McDaniel College but is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Alaska.
Shriver started running track in the eighth grade, determined to succeed after a teacher told him that he was not fast enough. Even though that experience was not a positive mark on his life, it did drive him to compete on the track for not only speed but also endurance. When asked whether he prefers speed or endurance, Shriver goes with endurance. It is the will to continue and having the mental capacity to keep going that captures his heart. The old fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” slips into mind very easily and one can see a quiet confidence and maturity exude from him.
Living life so gently and happily has worked for Shriver, and it is no surprise that he was appointed captain. “A captain has to be a supportive figure, not a dictator, and have experience,” Shriver says. “I’m older so I have the experience.” Before coming to McDaniel, he spent a number of years in the United States Marine Corps, which he says, “Is in [his] past and doesn’t define [him].” What is ahead of him is a degree in Exercise Science and a future as a physical education teacher. The world needs a leader like Shriver that personifies perseverance and tenacity.
