Dean of Deans

Admission Dean Fred Hargadon, who loomed so large over Princeton during his 15-year tenure, was remembered by alumni and friends during Reunions at a service in Richardson Auditorium. Hargadon, who stepped down in 2003, died in January.

Andrew Hargadon, Fred Hargadon’s son, said his father’s path in life was “guided by a series of kind gestures from relative strangers,” mentors who went out of their way to assist a young man from a poor family. “It’s so much of what shaped his sense of his job and his sense of purpose,” he said. “For him, college was somewhere that people took off from. College is where they began to become who they could be.”

University trustee John O. Wynne ’67 spoke of Hargadon’s letter to admitted students, which began with an exuberant “YES!”

“Yes, you have the potential of making a meaningful difference with your life, to lead and live up to Princeton’s commitment to service. Yes, regardless of your background and experience, you will find a level playing field of opportunity and support,” Wynne said. “No one who received the ‘YES!’ letter will ever forget it.”