Richard Ader ’63 is, among other things, a philanthropist, a successful businessman, and a tennis enthusiast. He’s also a survivor. On a spring day in 2019, he lay in a medically induced coma, fighting for his life. Days before, the lifelong athlete had collapsed on the tennis court mid-match due to a condition called atrial fibrillation—his heart was out of sync and failing. After two days, he woke up in a hospital room, completely incapacitated and surrounded by family.
“I thought I was dead,” says Ader. “I kept asking for proof that I was alive. I saw Notre Dame Cathedral in flames on the television screen and thought that couldn’t be real.”
Over the course of the next year, Ader fought assiduously to regain strength and muscle mass, to return to everyday activities like walking, working, and even playing tennis. Following a second incident, he made the difficult decision to undergo a procedure to equip him with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD), a machine that would save him from certain death but potentially alter his capacity to live fully. Facing what may have been game, set, match for most, Ader endured. Through sheer personal will and the help of his network of family, friends, and health care providers, he started from square one to rebuild himself for a second time.
In his new book, “How to Rally: Wisdom from a Life Spent Beating the Odds”, Ader details his remarkable recovery from the two near-fatal cardiac events and imparts his own wisdom for overcoming obstacles and persevering in the face of great adversity. Through anecdotes from the past, he weaves a powerful story that reveals an innate competitiveness, dogged determination, and zeal for life.
After losing his father at age 15 and enduring the resulting financial strain on the family, Ader strove to reclaim the security and financial stability he had known as a child. He pushed himself to excel.
“I entered adulthood understanding that nothing is guaranteed. I wanted to be the best and had the confidence that I could succeed at anything I set my mind to. That ambition has driven me throughout my life.”
A gifted athlete, he trained relentlessly in high school to earn a basketball scholarship to UVM, his ticket to a degree in banking and finance—and to a successful future. Ader became a pioneer in the corporate real estate net lease industry and founded U.S. Realty Advisors, LLC in 1989. He discovered a love for tennis in his 30s and has since served in various capacities to bring others into the sport. A strong advocate for youth tennis, and especially its ability to empower underserved children, he established a chapter of the National Junior Tennis Learning Network in Bennington, Vt., expanding the program into a rural area for the first time. He has provided decades of support and leadership to many service organizations he believes can make a difference, including Southwestern Vermont Health Care and the Women’s Sports Foundation, among others. And he has not forgotten his alma mater.
“UVM was a very important part of my life. The basketball scholarship and the education I received put me on the path to a life that I could never have dreamed of back then. UVM took a chance on me when no one else did, and I’ve always felt that I should give back.”
Ader and his wife, Pamela, have been longtime supporters of initiatives across campus. Most notably, they have endowed a Green & Gold Professorship, established an endowment in Holocaust Studies, and made lead gifts in support of Billings Library, UVM Alumni House, and the Athletics Facility Project. Richard serves as chair of the College of Arts & Sciences Board of Advisors, and he has served as a member of the UVM Foundation Board of Directors. He is an active member of the Foundation Leadership Council and the Foundation Finance & Investment Committee. He was instrumental in bringing his friend and occasional practice partner, tennis legend Billie Jean King, to UVM as Commencement speaker in 2011.
Ader was inducted into the UVM Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. Today, against all odds, he says he is moving on the court better than he could have ever imagined. LVAD strapped securely at his side, he has perfected his two-handed back stroke. He is still pushing himself, still making plans to do more.
“I have work left undone. I have relationships I care about and people I love and want to keep getting to spend time with. I have deals I want to do, and business I want to win. I have tennis matches to play, grandkids to enjoy, causes to champion, and people to help.”
Go to go.uvm.edu/richardader to hear Ader speak about his book, “How to Rally: Wisdom from a Life Spent Beating the Odds.”