Where Are They Now: Adam Dolder
1/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 25, 2011
This article originally appeared in the Dec. 18 edition of Gold Rush.
In each issue of Gold Rush, Where Are They Now features former Wake Forest student-athletes. This issue highlights former football player Adam Dolder. He entered the WFU football program as a walk-on quarterback and eventually earned a scholarship and a starting position as a wide receiver in addition to receiving Academic All-District accolades.
When did you graduate from Wake Forest?
1995
What was your major and/or minor?
BS - Business.
What does being a Demon Deacon mean to you?
Being a Demon Deacon means being a part of an extended, but close-knit, cross-generational family.
Why are you still involved in Wake Forest Athletics?
I am still involved with WFU Athletics because while I was playing football for the University, Wake Forest Athletics became a part of me -- a part of how I define myself. Additionally, many of my former teammates have become lifelong friends and I remain in close contact with several people in the athletic administration. There is something inside of me which still rises and falls with the tides of WFU athletics, and I don't know if that will ever cease to be the case!
Why do you feel it is important to give back to the University?
To put it simply, I could not have attended Wake Forest without others who gave back. I attended Wake Forest on both the Carswell Scholarship as well as a football scholarship. It was the generosity of those before me and during my time at Wake Forest that not only allowed me to attend WFU but also reinforced the importance of giving back. I have tried to take that lesson with me wherever I go.
What is your current occupation?
I manage a healthcare-focused private equity firm.
What is your favorite memory of your time at Wake Forest?
Among a myriad of fond memories, my favorite Wake Forest memory actually occurred long after my graduation. I was living in New York, where I have resided nearly my entire time post-graduation, other than the two years I spent in Boston while in business school, and it was immediately after 9-11 when I was reminded of what an amazing place Wake Forest is and what a powerful community it is.
Obviously all of us New York residents were in shock and emotionally spent after the events of that day, and I had the terrible displeasure of watching the second plane hit the tower from my office window. The WFU community immediately went into overdrive and began reaching out to the New York-based alumni, and I received a call from Dr. Hearn who had a simple message he wanted to relay to me (paraphrasing): "Adam, there are no appropriate words for a tragedy like this... but what I want you to know is that everyone in the Wake Forest community is thinking of you and if there is anything we can do, or I personally can do, please reach out."
I will never forget that phone call or the fact that it extols Wake Forest's greatest virtues.
What makes you most proud of Wake Forest?
I am most proud of Wake Forest because of what the University is AND what it strives to be. Wake Forest is a community that is focused on nurturing the growth of each individual in the way best suited for him / her so that they can fulfill their respective potential; and regardless of the evolution of society and need to incorporate technology, that is what Wake Forest continues to strive to be.
When you come back to Wake Forest, you always...
Swing by the football offices. No one should forget where they came from, and old habits die hard!
I was there when...
The men's hoops team won the first of its back-to-back ACC Championships (1995); the year that Randolph Childress taunted UNC in the championship game and scored 107 points in three games.
Who is your favorite coach at Wake Forest, current or past?
Jen Averill. Jen has epitomized everything good about collegiate athletics. She has built the best field hockey program in the country, won multiple championships and represented herself, her family the team and Wake Forest in the best manner possible.