p. Sam Sadler’s 45-year career as a student and administrator at the College has spanned six College presidents, five decades, countless weather predictions and approximately one billion e-mails.
p. Following this semester, Sadler will step down from his post of vice president for student affairs, leaving beyond innumerable accomplishments and admirers.
p. Sadler has undoubtedly left his mark on this institution, from his days mentoring future President Timothy J. Sullivan as an Orientation Aide to his reading of last month’s “’Twas the Night Before Finals.”
p. Many at the College, past and present, have felt a special connection with the man with the amicable face and the easy-going nature. We at The Flat Hat have been privileged to have Sam as our upstairs neighbor in the Campus Center for as long as we can remember.
p. A former Flat Hat staffer himself, Sadler was always willing to answer a question or exchange a series of friendly e-mails. He’s even been known to give a quote or two late into the night, a generosity that isn’t easily overlooked by an overworked editor.
Perhaps more than any other, Sam Sadler is William and Mary. In his e-mail to students, College President Gene Nichol’s praise of Sadler might have put it best.
p. “In the near half-century since Hampton gave us W. Samuel Sadler, the College of William and Mary has journeyed from a modestly well-thought-of state school to a university of real and worldwide renown. To say it plainly, he’s more responsible for the William and Mary we love today — the attention to challenging and nurturing young women and men, the unfailing spirit of community, and the ceaseless pursuit of excellence and innovation in service to others — than anybody else we know. And while there may have been ‘Tribe Pride’ before Sam Sadler, it’s somewhat tough to imagine.”
p. Sadler and his indefatigable commitment to the College will be sorely missed. It will certainly be hard to replace a man who dedicated his life to the College and everyone associated with it.
p. “As much as William and Mary is a part of my life,” Sadler wrote in an e-mail to students, “I will always find a way to be a part of this remarkable place in some way.”
p. Don’t be a stranger.