“When I’m asked about the accident I try to tell people how well I’m doing now—I’m not dwelling in the past.” Yarmouth’s Travis Roy is a marvel of determination a year after the horrifying crash into the boards which paralyzed him in his first hockey game for Boston University. Travis is on a level with actor Christopher Reeve as a spokesman for the disabled, mostly because everyone admires the way he has never allowed himself time for pity. Instead, Travis prefers to portray his life as typical. “I’m going through the normal college experience all the students at BU are!” Of course, he stands out from his classmates: he’s spoken to the U.S. Senate about the need for more spinal cord research, he’s set up a foundation to help thousands of handicapped people, and he’s now writing a book about his experiences. Travis lives on campus at Boston University and continues to make steady progress. He has some movement in his right arm and can now feed himself with a velcro-attached fork. He’s also able to wheel himself in and about BU’s handicap-accessible complex of buildings. Typically, he keys in on the thrill of meeting hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, and he’s not the least inclined to warn young athletes away from the hard-driving game he so loves. “Hockey is a very safe sport! My accident was a fluke—I am the only Division I hockey player in history to have this happen. In fact, I’ll encourage my children to play hockey if that’s their wish!”

Why is Travis intriguing? The easy way out for him would have been to disengage from the life and stay in the safe haven built next to his parents’ house through the generous donations of his community, but though he’s grateful and glad to visit, proof of his mettle is that Travis is a freshman once again at B.U.

—By Richard Rose

Published in our November 1996 issue as one of The 10 Most Intriguing People in Maine which also included Liv Tyler, William POPE. L, Deirdre Nice, an Egyptian Mummy, Peter O’Donnell, former Governor John McKernan, Molly Sinclair, and Robin Alden.

View an excerpt of the issue: NOV1996sm