University of Memphis student Adam Hairston’s admirable life was cut short on Aug. 2 after a fatal fall from a three-story balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he was studying abroad.
Hairston, a 22-year-old international business major, was a cherished friend, family member, rugby player and humanitarian who loved to travel and give back to others.
“He was just a gentle person, towards everyone, no matter what religion, race or gender you were. And his intention towards people was so genuine. He wasn’t the guy to put up a front for the sake of other people,” Nick Gardner, Hairston’s long-time friend and freshman year roommate, said.
In the year they lived together, Gardner recalled a day Hairston talked about wanting to make every day of his life count. Not waiting for things to pan out, but making his goals happen now.
“He was sitting at his desk and said man, there’s this book called ‘A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.’ This book has changed my life. You need to go read it,’” Gardner said.
In “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I learned While Editing My Life” author Donald Miller writes, “And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.”
A book about living up to one’s full potential, taking risks and finding beauty in life, Gardner said it resonated with his friend’s desire to do more.
“He stuck with rugby and became captain as a sophomore, which is like unheard of,” Gardner said. “He was phenomenal at uniting a team and being a leader.”
As rugby team captain, Hairston led by example, going on 6-mile runs and regularly riding his bike to school and work.
His first mission trip volunteering at Casa Hogar Benito Juarez, an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico, as a high school senior with his church youth group, compelled him to continue traveling and helping the less fortunate. He returned five times over the years, repairing the center and playing with kids – building a loving relationship with the orphanage.
“There was a small child, a twin, that had a problem with his eyes. Both wouldn’t face same direction at the same time. Adam worked hard to get everything lined up to do everything he could to have that child’s eyes operated on to fix them,” his father Mike Hairston, said.
He successfully found a doctor and hospital in the U.S. willing to do the surgery, but the Mexican government wouldn’t allow it.
“I believe that had Adam lived, he would eventually have moved out of the country. He wanted to live outside of the states and help people,” his father said.
He traveled to Alicante, Spain last summer studying to teach English as a second language. There, he also spent several weeks exploring the Italian coast.
“We asked him to send us pictures so that we knew he was okay. He sent us one picture of him standing in front of the coliseum, and every other picture he sent us was basically a picture of his feet crossed in front of some beautiful beach scenery or fountains,” his father said.
Immediately before his trip to Argentina in July he served as a summer camp counselor to 10 and 11-year-old kids in Colorado Springs.
“His main goal after college was just to travel and serve people around the world, globalize and meet as many people as he could,” lifelong childhood friend Clif Williamson said.
Williamson and Harrison met in elementary school, and then went on to attend White Station Middle and High School together. In the sixth grade they started boy scouts, and in 2009 they both became eagle scouts.
“Growing up, if I was going through any kind of turmoil, a death in the family or I did something stupid and got in trouble, Adam was the only friend my parents would let me hang out with because they knew he was a good influence on me and would steer me in the right direction,” Williamson said.
For years Hairston worked as a lifeguard at the Fogelman YMCA, eventually becoming head lifeguard. Co-worker Tellis Gary, now in the U.S. Army, said it doesn’t seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but “he taught a lot of kids to swim, and the look on their faces when they would jump into the deep end and swim to him was a smile that could light up rooms.”
Gary’s favorite memories with Hairston were the times they lifeguarded together. In the winter they put a dome over the pool and turned up “old school music.” They listened to everything from Al Green to Journey.
“Every Monday when he came into work he would say, ‘Got a case of the Mondays?’ with a giant smile and it always made my day a better day,” Gary said.
According to Gary, his best friend was “the kind of guy everyone went to for advice, and he gave great advice.” Hairston’s positive and supportive attitude made him an encouraging member of everyone’s life he entered.
“He was the type of guy where if you have a five minute conversation he could change your day. If you have a conversation longer than that he could change your life,” Gary said.
