Campus News
January 27th, 2025
Ripley to be February JCLS presenter
Maryland author and life coach to detail 38-year battle against HIV
Vaughn Ripley
Vaughn Ripley is a data base administrator, health and fitness professional, life coach, published author, husband, father, and self-described adrenaline junkie.
He is also a hemophiliac who contracted human immunodeficiency virus from a tainted blood transfusion in 1987, then overcame drug addiction while successfully battling HIV for more than 38 years.
Ripley's life story is the subject of the next Joan Crawford Lecture Series (JCLS) presentation, which takes place on Wednesday, February 12th at 6 p.m. in room 111 in the Garrett Enterprise Information Center. His presentation – Thriving Against the Odds: A Journey of Adventure and Resilience – is free and open to the general public.
Andy Hershey, an associate professor of Outdoor Leadership Adventure (OLA) Education at Garrett College, termed Ripley one of the most impactful speakers he's brought to campus to speak with his students.
"We've hosted everyone from Olympic paddlers to the world's top climbers, as well as industry pioneers and motivational speakers," said Hershey. "From my perspective, Vaughn Ripley's presentation focusing on his lifelong motivation and accomplishments . . . was the most inspiring of them all."
Ripley, who lives in Maryland with his wife and son, was born with hemophilia in 1967. Just a teenager when he contracted HIV, he responded at first with what he termed "a hard life of drugs and alcohol," before turning his life around. Ripley chronicled his life story in Survivor: One Man's Battle with HIV, Hemophilia, and Hepatitis C (2010).
The Joan Crawford Lecture Series honors dynamic educator Joan R. Crawford, who died in 2010 after serving the Garrett College community for 30 years in a variety of faculty and staff roles.
For more information, contact Stephanie Miller at stephanie.miller@garrettcollege.edu.
