“You’re never too young to lead”
Nii Amaah Ofuso-Amaah delivered the keynote address.

Nii Amaah K. Ofosu-Amaah ’00, a highly respected philanthropist and businessman who also serves on the Landon Board of Trustees, returned to campus to deliver the keynote address for the Boiardi Forum for Ethical Reflection. The all-school assembly is held every year in memory of alumnus and lacrosse star George Boiardi ’00 who passed away in 2004. It celebrates the values Boiardi exhibited as a Bear at Landon and at Cornell University.

The Boiardi family specifically requested Nii Amaah because of his “inspiring kindness” and close friendship with George. Both Nii Amaah and George were members of the 10-year club at Landon. 

Here is a lightly edited version of his message to the boys, faculty, and staff.  

Nii Amaah Ofosu-Amaah '00 delivered the keynote address.

Good morning, 

First and foremost, I want to thank Mario and Deborah Boiardi for having me here today, as well as Jim Neill, John Bellaschi, and the full administration for the warm Bear welcome. It’s nice to see many familiar faces after I’ve come back home to Landon close to my 25th reunion year and almost 21 years after George left us. And thank you all the students for your attention.  

I'm thrilled to be here at the Forum for Ethical Reflection, appropriately named the Boiardi Forum. On March 17, 2004, in a lacrosse game held at Cornell University, George Boiardi passed away. He gave his life playing the game he loved. The Cornell team lost an inspirational teammate and captain, Landon lost one of its legends, and many of us lost a brother. His number, #21, was retired at Cornell, the turf field Cornell plays on is called George’s House,and he has a legacy that is not only present at Cornell but right here at Landon where he got his start. He was the winner of the Spirit of Teewaraton Award in 2017, one of the most prestigious awards in all of lacrosse, more than 10 years after he passed away, among many other recognitions[1]. His story has been told in “The Hard Hat” and “The Hard Hat for Kids,” written by Jon Gordon, and I know you ninth graders just finished this for summer reading. I have no doubt it was the best book on the list!  And his family and friends started the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation which supports Teach for America South Dakota, the 21 Run in Ithaca, reading programs for children, and many other initiatives which allow students to pursue their dreams in leadership, academics, and athletics. 

Today, my goal is to share four lessons that I learned from George that I have relied on often over the last 25 years since leaving Landon. 

  1. You are NEVER too young to lead 

  1. Embracing curveballs and the habit of hard work  

  1. Leadership by virtue and not force 

  1. What it really means to win 

 

Message 1 | “You are never too young to lead” 

We were Landon lifers together and graduated in the Class of 2000. Ten years before, we had the same homeroom teacher in third grade.

2000 commencement day photo
Photos from Nii Amaah's address - grade 3 boys from the Class of 2000

Landon Yearbook 

George began his time at Landon with a bang, literally and figuratively, when in the Shrimp Bowl, in his first play ever as a third grader, he sacked the fourth grade quarterback for a massive loss. Raise your hand if you’re a third or fourth grader. Good luck in the Shrimp Bowl and Landon Cup!   

George and I first became friends as supporting actors in the Lower School musical in 1992, "The Wizard of Oz." We chased the Wicked Witch of the West around this very stage over 30 years ago and that was our first of many forays as friends and teammates in life.   

We began to see George’s leadership capabilities on full display at a young age at Camp Wachusett. While we were up there, I will never forget this one day when we were out for a long hike, probably 10-12 campers, and a sudden thunderstorm caused a torrential downpour (before the time of weather apps), and we were caught in the storm, just thoroughly soaked. Everyone was miserable, especially the high school camp counselors who were in charge of us grumpy Lower/Middle Schoolers and knew we had a very long journey back to camp. All of a sudden, through this silence and trudging through the rain, George started singing…first it was the Wachusett song, then a campfire song, then The Star-Spangled Banner. Now George couldn’t sing at all (don’t think he was in the Little Singers!), but he did it with his trademark enthusiasm and positivity. As you can imagine, someone else started singing, then we all just started singing and it made an uncomfortable situation a little bit better and camp seem a little bit closer. It was an early sign of leadership and the person he would become. A person that others would follow, be inspired by George just being his authentic self. A “come with me” leader as has been written by Jon Gordon. We all (and I’m looking at the Lower Schoolers now in the front rows) have the capacity to lead in small and big ways in our lives.  So, my first message to you is: “you’re never too young to lead”. 

 

Message 2 | Embrace the curveballs and the habit of hard work 

“Well done is better than well said.” Mr. and Mrs. B gave George a small paperweight with this great Benjamin Franklin quote when he was young. He wasn’t a loud kid, other than that singing he started at Camp Wachusett, but he let his actions do the talking.   

When you think about getting better at something, we often think of really big things, like winning the IAC championship or the Founders Cup, but that path to improvement starts with tiny improvements or even 1% every day. If you have the right, positive attitude and are willing to put in the effort, like George did, you can make massive contributions to your team. There’s a recent New York Times Bestseller book called “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and it really underscored George’s mindset of improvement. Based on the math, if you get 1% better at something every day for a year, you’ll end up with a result that is 37 times better after one year.   

One of the things I know Head of School Jim Neill is big on is the notion that “every boy at Landon should graduate with sweat on their back.” I was lucky enough to witness just how hard George worked in class and at the gym at Landon in his Upper School years and that continued during his Cornell years. The Wall of Power in the weight room is indeed named after George Boiardi.   

This notion of “hard work being the compound interest of self-improvement” really made me think of George’s success and how much you improve your own skills/talents for your team wherever you are. For George, he was always competitive with himself - “Can I run just a little faster, move a little faster, do just a little bit better every day?" More importantly, you can inspire others to do the same and all improve collectively. And it’s "For My Brother," as Landon Senior Simon Schwartz says, and eighth grader Emmanuel tells us "Por Mi Hermano." For the team and not for individual applause. 

I’m reminded of the story of how George was asked to switch positions from a long stick position to a short stick freshman year of college, which is an incredibly hard change.   

Photos of George Boiardi from Nii Amaah address

When you talk to our good friends who went to Cornell and played with George, and many have become great friends of mine, they will tell you that George never complained. George made the significant adjustment and practiced every day throwing the ball against the wall and trying to improve his stickwork for his team. By senior year, his teammates joke that they even let him shoot the ball too! 

So, my second message to you is: “if you want to achieve something you’ve never had (changing positions on a sports team, learning how to play a new instrument, making the school play), you will have to do something you’ve never done  Boys, “when” that moment happens not “if,” don’t have a second of self-pity. When something starts to turn out not the way you expected, pause and think of #21. George’s story inspires us to “embrace the curveballs, work hard, and sweat a lot.” 

 

Message 3 | Moral Courage and Virtute et Non Vi 

George made the varsity team as a Landon freshman in multiple sports, he was popular, smart, and well respected by all. And while George was a quiet leader at Landon and Cornell, he also wasn’t afraid to say something when he needed to and proactively pick others up and he never put anybody down.

There is a powerful story about George his sophomore year at Landon. There were a few seniors who were picking on a relatively smaller freshman. It happened for a little bit and one day George, not the other seniors, not the captain, piped up and just said “knock it off.” Everyone was stunned that he would exhibit this courage, this moral courage. It was enough to impact the team, and those seniors stopped. George was only a sophomore, and many other players just stood by. George had the moral courage and authority to say something because he was respected for his character, the way he treated and interacted with people, the consistent desire to protect his brother, especially those who couldn’t or wouldn’t stand up for themselves. This was the truly remarkable thing about George and what so many of us remember. One of the frameworks that resonates most for me on moral courage is that of the late Rushworth Kidder [as depicted in the Venn diagram below].

Photos from Nii Amaah's address

George had high expectations for everyone, as they were all a team together, to value principles of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and compassion at the risk of danger to his social standing. And our school motto is, “By Virtue and Not Force." It’s not as if George didn’t have fear; he valued the principles more. George, like in this picture (see below), has been a continued presence on my right shoulder in the nearly 21 years since he passed and I and many, many others often ask, “what would George do?” when facing a tricky situation that might require moral courage. 

Photos from Nii Amaah's address - 10 year bear club

10-Year Club | Landon Class of 2000

 

Message 4 | What it really means to win 

As I mentioned, George was one of the fiercest competitors, talented athletes, and hardest hitters in every sport played on the field. Off the field, he was one of the kindest, most humble, and most selfless people I have ever met. And I want to make sure all of you know those qualities are not mutually exclusive. You can be both fierce and aggressive on the field/court/ice and kind, joyful, and caring off it. While at Landon, George was part of many community service programs, reading programs for children, tutoring efforts like Chevy Chase Tutoring, Habitat for Humanity to improve housing affordability, and many others. At Cornell that continued: he started a reading program for a local elementary school that continues today (Big Red Readers). Service and kindness to the community was always part of who he was while being captain of the lacrosse team. He always did the right thing and had an unending kindness. It’s heartening to see the continued efforts at Cornell, where the team now also volunteers at the Salvation Army, Adopt-a-Child, and other programs to continue George’s legacy of service. 

At Cornell, George was awarded the Hard Hat, which is given to the freshman midway through the fall season who is not the most talented player but the one who is selfless, driven, and the hardest worker.   

George enhanced what it meant to hold the Hard Hat. He made it a practice to be the last to leave the locker room and even clean the locker room so others wouldn’t have to do so. He was someone who welcomed everyone warmly onto the team. As a senior, when an underclassman had had a hard practice, he might wait for them and encourage them that things would get better. He would talk to freshman about being homesick or adjusting to college and being a person they could turn too. And George never asked for anything in return, he was a person who wanted to leave every place, every team, every year better than he found it. What he has started is a generation of Landon and Cornell student-athletes that were inspired by his example. So inspired that many have named their kids after George Boiardi. We think there are now 17 children named after George. Think about that legacy. 

There’s this concept that has been studied in research on “mattering” that Jennifer Wallace has explored in detail in her book, “Never Enough.” And the definition in her work on mattering is the feeling of being valued by family, friends, and community, and then being depended on to add meaningful value back to friends and family. Living a life of “mattering” is the ultimate form of success. 

The last time I saw George was during Christmas break of 2003 before his last lacrosse season. I hadn’t seen him in a little while (likely the Harvard/Cornell Game) and a few of us met in Georgetown, a mini reunion for the Class of 2000. I’ll never forget George beelining to me from across the room giving me a mile-wide smile, the Boiardi grin and a bear hug. He had a really contagious energy. I had all of his attention, and he was fully absorbed in that moment catching up on school, plans for senior spring, life after college graduation and everything in between. He cared about me, and I’ll never forget how that made me feel. And I cared about him. He was a fiercely loyal and amazing friend. That was my last interaction with him and I’m grateful for that memory. What a gift. I take with me this awareness, curiosity, and attention for all the great teammates I will be blessed to play with in the game of life. We all can have a significant positive impact on each other in this Landon community and wherever we go next. 

George was a consummate teammate and friend. He cared deeply about the rest of his teammates and would always talk about what others did in that game (Fogarty’s blocked punt, Flajser’s tackle, Shooshan’s catch, Lamade’s great pass, Crosland’s save, JR Bordley’s goal, etc.). Frankly, this was true in all settings and contexts. I also think it’s why he would have been a tremendous teacher after college in South Dakota at the Rosebud Reservation where he was planning on going.   

All of us in this room have other people who made sacrifices to provide you with the chance to be on the Landon team, such as parents and grandparents. We live in this world of “individualism,” of “me,” and “I." It’s really tempting to think about all the great things we individually did. George made many contributions to his teams at Landon and Cornell, but the way he lived his full life inspires me because of his outward focus, concern for others, being other centered and the constant and consistent interest for your brother sitting next to you. I believe it was an early recognition that we are all fundamentally connected. Now I’m talking to you, Upper Schoolers: when you get busy, or things feel unsustainable, or it’s college application season, you still have to make it a practice to reach out to people, to help others. Speaking with the alumni view, it’s easy to become isolated as you leave this beautiful place, but carve out time for friendships you have built and find balance through a focus on others. Live a life of “mattering.” 

It's been one of my greatest honors in life to live and sweat with George Boiardi and his whole family, including his siblings Elena and Caroline. His older sister Elena lives right near me in Boston and is an incredible person. She has an artistic gift and the pin I wear today, also seen on the screen, is something she designed, and I want to share it with you as the fourth message. 

Photos from Nii Amaah's address

Shared with permission of Elena Boiardi 

In Elena’s words: open hands depict the giving of yourself, the wreath that surrounds outstretched hands is the laurel wreath that was awarded at the very first Olympics and a symbol of athleticism... “If you help others, if you lend of your own strength, you are a winner.” 

 

Conclusion | A Raindrop 

To conclude, I want to share one last Landon story. Humility, selflessness, and grace inspires such stories to be told. Mr. and Mrs. B did something that I only continue to appreciate more as every year goes by now as a parent. When all of George’s Landon friends were back in Washington, D.C. from college, a member of our class had a gathering where Mr. and Mrs. B shared thoughts with us about George soon after he passed. They opened up to us, but the majority of the time was spent comforting and supporting us that somehow things would be ok despite just how broken we were. Looking back, that was a significant moment and brought us all together, and many of us have Cornell brothers too who have we have stayed in touch with, almost 21 years later… On that day, Mr. and Mrs. B gave each of us these Cornell Red envelopes with messages that I have kept and have shared with my children. 

One I want to share with you today in closing: 

“A raindrop falls through still air toward a pool of water, momentarily catching sunlight to create a rainbow. 

The raindrop finally reaches the pool, disappearing into its source. 

If the pool is calm, the energy carried by the raindrop will remain, however, continuing in perfect concentric waves, spreading across the pool, beyond our sight.” 

There will never be another Mario St. George Boiardi, but if we all take little parts of how he lived his life, it will make our Landon community and the broader world a better place. 

Thank you for being a great audience. Go Bears! 

Nii Amaah Ofosu-Amaah '00 poses for a photo with the Boiardi family


In answering a question from Simon Schwartz ’25, Student Council President, about the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation, Nii Amaah K. Ofosu-Amaah noted the following: 

The Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation started as an amalgamation of efforts to support George right after he passed.  Many wanted to honor his life, legacy, and the spirit of service which is what he was all about.  In the early days, the Foundation hosted a series of events that included the 21 Run, the 21 Run West, the 21 Dinner, the  Boiardi Open Golf Tournament, and the Capital Lacrosse Invitational (held at Landon), which allowed us to raise funds to supported Teach for America in South Dakota where George was going to teach and serve, the Ithaca Family Reading Partnership, Lacrosse for Life, Winners Lacrosse, Harlem Lacrosse & Leadership and many other efforts to use our strength to pay it forward and provide opportunities for future leaders.   

With the Boiardi family, the Foundation is run by Ian Rosenberger, Tim Kirchener, David Coors, and Billy Fort (Landon 1998, Cornell 2002).  George’s friends, Brigham Kiplinger (Landon 1999, Cornell 2003) and Ted Lamade (Landon 2000), have also played an active role.  And in COVID, I'm so happy that they were able to continue efforts like the 21 Run on a virtual basis. Through grants, we supported hundreds of students to pursue their own dreams in academics, athletics, and leadership (what we think about when we say the name George Boiardi).  It started as providing financial assistance to 21 middle schoolers to attend the summer camp of their desires.  I get a little emotional thinking about it, but it is amazing to continue to be impacting the same places that George would have been after college and beyond.  Paying it all forward.  And I'm so proud of the leadership of the Foundation for the continued efforts almost 21 years later. 

[1] Cornell keeps the “George Boiardi Stats." GBs – ground balls. And any play rooted in toughness, effort, and IQ. In the Premier Lacrosse League, the award for the best Short Stick Defensive Midfielder is called: the George Boiardi Hard Hat Award. 

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