Pat Rummerfield

Patrick “Pat” Rummerfield, Theta Iota (Washington State), was initiated into Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity on July 29, 2006. In 1974, Rummerfield’s spine was severely injured in an alcohol-related car accident. At the time, doctors saw little chance for survival, forecasting that he would die within 72 hours. Beating the odds, Rummerfield far outlived this prediction and became the world’s only fully recovered spinal cord injury quadriplegic. Despite missing around 85 percent of his spinal cord, his active-based restoration therapy and recovery have inspired the world. Since his recovery, he has dedicated his life to impacting the lives of others. Rummerfield was introduced to Pi Kappa Phi while on a flight to St. Louis, which he shared with undergraduate members of the Theta Iota Chapter from Washington State University. The students, who were returning from the Mid-Year Leadership Conference, shared the mission of PUSH America with him, and the brothers and Rummerfield quickly found they had a passion for the abilities of all people in common.

Highlights

• The world’s first fully functional quadriplegic
• Motivation speaker, featured on the Discovery Channel, Extreme Machines, Motor Sports Weekly and more
• Founder – Adventures on Wheels
• Founder – Iron Hope
• Co-Founder – International Center for Spinal Cord Injury
• Co-Founder – Next Steps Foundation
• Author – Green Bananas: The Patrick Rummerfield Story
• Holder of 47 world records
• For over a decade, held the FIA World Land Speed record for an all-electric car at more than 245.4 miles per hour