'Dean Fred' supports Princeton athletics

When I sat down to cover the women's softball game on the first truly beautiful day of spring this year, I didn't know that I was about to meet a legend. As I jotted down my notes, two alumni from the Class of 1949 sat down next to me. While they told me stories about their days at Princeton, it was their insistence that I go meet former Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon that I will remember most.

Having heard many stories about the famous "Dean Fred," as he is called on campus, I was slightly intimidated at the prospect of meeting such an icon. Much of his notoriety stems from his 'Yes!' letters that told prospective students they had been accepted, and how he knew every detail of information on the application of every student here at Princeton. However, Hargadon quickly put my nerves at ease, knowing, of course, my high school and everything about it, and telling stories about each of the players on the field. While I am unfortunately too young to be a product of Dean Fred's years in Admission, he didn't skip a beat.

It was no surprise that Hargadon was here on campus that afternoon. While he may no longer work for the school, he certainly has not stopped caring about Princeton. He proves to be one of the school's most loyal fans, making it to many games every season, in addition to other events on campus in performing arts and drama.

So why does Hargadon take the time out of his retirement, which started in June 2003, to come back to campus and cheer for Princeton athletes?

"I attend many Princeton athletic events for the same reason I attend many nonathletic events on campus, such as last weekend's terrific University Orchestra concert, in order to show my respect and admiration for the talents of the students involved, the commitment of time they make to contribute to the life of the campus and for their representing Princeton as well as they do." Hargadon said.

And not only does he come out and cheer, but Hargadon continues his legacy of knowing all the details by following the athletes and tracking their progress. In just the few minutes that I stood and talked to him, he told stories about most of the athletes on the field.

Maybe it is because of the sheer quantity of games that he attends every year.

"Catching our teams in action never gets old for me," he said. "Perhaps that's because I treat each contest as an original short story to be savored. I share the participants' excitement when they win and their disappointment when they lose. And each event also gives me a chance to catch up with other fans, including the groundskeepers, students, parents, faculty, alumni and folks from the surrounding area."

But there is more to the games that Hargadon watches than just the sport themselves. Being the former Director of Admissions, Hargadon also dealt with many different sides of what it means to be a student-athlete, and therefore what Princeton desires in prospective student-athletes.

While the Office of Admission looks for the same academic characteristics in student-athletes, they also consider other aspects of college life that they will face because of the added pressures of being both a student and an athlete at Princeton.

"[The Admission Office] looks for evidence of enough resilience to persevere when confronted with setbacks or when discovering that no matter how outstanding they may have been in a given academic subject or activity in high school, some of their Princeton classmates turn out to be even more accomplished in that subject or activity," Hargadon said.

But this extra responsibility comes with some positive aspects. While he thinks that it depends on the athlete, Hargadon sees the benefits of being a student athlete as ranging from, "the satisfaction gained from accomplishing a goal as the result of teamwork" to "pushing oneself to a personal record time or individual performance" to "undoubtedly simply a matter of taking advantage of their last opportunity to enjoy competing in a sport they've come to love."

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These aspects of sport are exactly what college athletes thrive on.

"I consider Princeton really lucky that so many terrific student-athletes have chosen to come here over the years and to have contributed as much as they have, as excellently as they have, to the University community," he said.

While he may be retired, Dean Fred is no stranger to Princeton. He is still here actively cheering on all of Princeton's accomplishments, whether playing on the field, acting in the theater or singing in an archway.