On Friday, April 18, students gathered in the Wren courtyard for a farewell tribute to Vice-President of Student Affairs Sam Sadler in his last few weeks at the College.
“I knew something was going to happen, but not what,” Sadler later told The DoG Street Journal. “They told me, if you get an e-mail about this Friday, please don’t read it, and I didn’t. The only thing I knew about was the William & Mary & Sam sign.”
The sign, which read William & Mary & Sam over the school's logo, hung from the Wren Building during the celebration.
Former Student Assembly president Ryan Scofield (’07) ran the program; after briefly sharing some of his own memories, he welcomed Sadler on stage to watch a procession of students carrying banners.
In the weeks before the event, students were invited to create banners showing their love and appreciation for Sadler. Many did, including sororities and fraternities, a cappella groups, club sports teams, and dozens of clubs. Each class’s student representatives also made one, including the class of 2007.
Sciffy, the science fiction club on campus, designed a banner with Sam Sadler hovering in a spaceship, and the words “Sam Sadler: he’s not retiring, he’s just going home.” The Classics Club drew Sam Sadler as a Greco-Roman god, clutching thunderbolts in each hand. The sign read: “Sadler Optimus Maximus, you’re divine.”
Many signs were also more serious, saying thanking Sadler or praising him for any of his various achievements on campus.
“I loved the creativity of the signs,” Sadler commented later. “There were ones that were fun, serious. It was great watching how they reflected the personalities of the members of each group.”
After the procession, the William & Mary Pep Band played and the Accidentals and the Gentlemen of the College each sang a song in honor of Sadler. They were followed by Interim President W. Taylor Reveley, whose speech was a mixture of jokes about Sadler’s age and fond reminiscence about Sadler’s time at the College.
When asked what he would miss most about Sadler, Reveley said he would miss “his institutional knowledge, his good sense, and the enormous affection the students have for him. It’s rare for an administrator - for anyone - to be so popular with the student body.”
Sadler spoke next. He thanked the attending students and commented that it “hardly [seemed] possible that 45 years could have passed so quickly.”
Scofield was the last official speaker, and, in a statement that much described the mood of the gathering, concluded with a statement to Sadler: “You’re a incredible person, fantastic role model and a great friend. We will miss you, we thank you and we love you.”
Sadler then directed the College chorus in the Alma Mater, as the hundreds of assembled students, faculty and community members sang along and the bells of the Wren Building rang over and over in the background.
Many of the assembled students had fond memories of Sadler and his presence on campus.
“His e-mails are awesome,” Auston Pryor (’08) said. “I like how he’s very spontaneous with the students, and how he’s integrated himself into the student body. I also think it’s great that he’s inspired and supported community service at William and Mary. A lot of what we have today is because of him.”
Another student, Keshia Ward (’10) had a more personal memory of Sadler. “I’m in Nu Kappa Epsilon,” she said, “and my family has a clue with Sam Sadler. So when I pledged, they sent me into his office. He gave me the clue and we chatted for a while. My little did it this semester, and she’s the last one who’ll get to do it. He’s been doing the clue for a long time, at least over ten years.”
“My favorite memory of Sam Sadler is the collective whole,” Scofield said. “He’s always smiling, always happy, and always has the correct answer.”
Another Sadler staple, which many students mentioned, was his weather-predicting knee - it was mentioned numerous times during the ceremony, as well as jokingly blamed for the sunny, warm day.
“I remember this one time,” graduate student Ryan Carpenter said, “it was 75 degrees in the morning. I put on shorts, didn’t take a jacket, expecting a great day. Well, I had to go somewhere and I was inside for about five hours. I came back outside and it was raining. I remember I exclaimed ‘Oh man!’ and someone nearby turned and looked at me and said ‘Oh, didn’t you read Sam Sadler’s e-mail this morning?’ I said ‘No, I hadn’t had time.’ And he just said ‘Oh, well he predicted it was going to rain.’ It was just taken for granted that when Sam Sadler said that, he’d be right.”
Scofield, in introducing Saddler, commented that he “is, for lack of a better word, an institution.” He will be missed, and he will miss the College as well.
“I know exactly what I’m going to miss.” Sadler said. “It was right here today. There’s something very special about the relationships we form here, the community at the College. That’s what was here today, and what I’ll miss.”