Nostalgia grips former 'Prince' editor

Two days ago, I finished college. It ended, much like it began, in a whirlwind. The pressures of freshman week almost four years ago gave way to the pressures of writing two papers for Dean's Date followed by Classics comprehensive exams the next day at 9 a.m.

As Princeton has a dire shortage of 24-hour study spaces, a student is forced to try to find his own private area where he can study past the library's 2 a.m. closing time. For me, that study space is the second floor room next to The Daily Princetonian's editor-in-chief's office, a room the Street section used to occupy. Since they have moved downstairs to the main floor, I have realized that their former space is the perfect area in which to study or write papers.

But as I worked to cap my Princeton career academically, I could not help but feel a bit of longing in my heart. During one of my study breaks, I made the long journey downstairs and saw one of my successors busily working to finish that night's paper.

This observation led me to a moment of self reflection, and I realized that I missed the 'Prince.' When I first joined 'Prince' Sports as a freshman, I never envisioned myself as an editor. Many times as a writer, I ignored the 5 p.m. deadline and would turn my article in late, much to the chagrin of my editors. When I was called to become an editor, I thus approached the task with some trepidation.

My worst fears were confirmed the first day on the job. After spending the whole day at Bicker, I came into the office where Tyler, Todd and I had to produce the sports section for a 20-page monster. We barely made deadline that day, and the worst was yet to come.

We finally decided to divide the responsibilities so that only one editor was in at a time. This led to numerous night shifts that lasted until one or two in the morning, and I found myself questioning my decision to become an editor. I still remember Valentine's Day last year, when I had to tell my girlfriend that I could not come to her sorority crush party as I was busy at the 'Prince.' The work seemed brutal, as I would spend 10 to 12 hours per week at the 'Prince' on top of my classes. In addition to all this, we had to put out issues for Alumni Day in February and for Reunions as well.

But this fall, I came to embrace my time at the 'Prince.' One night in early October, I found myself in the 'Prince' office with two writers claiming they could not write their articles. Perhaps in my younger days — i.e., last spring — I would have panicked. Instead, I convinced one of the writers to finish his article, even if it was late, and had a substitute on press night fill in for the second writer. As I put the finishing touches on the paper around midnight, I truly felt that I had accomplished something. I was a member of a great team of editors, and I had fulfilled my duty to produce a quality paper for the students of Princeton to read.

Still, I felt some relief in January when I realized my tenure at the Prince had ended. The 10 hours per week I spent at the 'Prince' quickly turned in to 10 hours in Firestone working on my thesis, and the 'Prince' became the least of my concerns. But on Tuesday night, or rather Wednesday morning, I realized that my time at the 'Prince' represented something more. As I saw my capable successor drum out the paper, I realized that I had been part of a proud tradition that had delivered the news of Princeton to its students since 1876.

I had followed in the footsteps of giants who dedicated their time to this wonderful organization, and I could not be more proud of that. I can therefore look back on my work in the office with satisfaction, and, with a heavy heart, I cannot help but miss the time I spent at The Daily Princetonian.