Stephen Joel Trachtenberg got a lot of advice from his food Tuesday.
On the day he announced his retirement from GW after nearly 20 years in Rice Hall, the cap to his soda told him "You're doing the right thing." A late dinner at a local Chinese restaurant yielded a fortune cookie that said, "Overlook not your own opportunity."
Trachtenberg didn't need the ironic one-liners for reassurance. After contemplating retirement for the last year, he made the decision to leave in July 2007. He made it with the dogged confidence that allowed him to inject his values and personality into every nook and cranny of this school, from the gold column in the Marvin Center to the many scholarships and awards that bear his last name.
Trachtenberg is approaching 70, but a lack of enthusiasm and energy is not behind his decision to step down from the presidency. He has never let up from a relentless schedule - he returned from a trip to Hong Kong earlier this week - and still relishes the dogfights that come with making University policy. Rather, at an age when most people think about moving down South, he sees opportunities - opportunities to teach, spend more time with his family and learn.
Even at a school that has had only 15 presidents since its inception in 1821, Trachtenberg has been here a long time: 19 years when he leaves. "That's longer than FDR," he quipped Tuesday night. He's seen presidents come and go at D.C.'s other universities; he's seen mayors and presidents come and go; and he's seen his wife ease out of full-time employment and his two sons graduate from college and start careers.
"I just felt like it was time," said Trachtenberg, who spent more time on vacation this summer than he has in years past.
Still recovering from jet lag after his return from Hong Kong, Trachtenberg sat down for a late dinner Tuesday night at Meiwah - hot and sour soup and a shrimp plate. Tacked to a wall behind him was a photo of him and the restaurant's owner. The other photos gracing the wall all contained notable figures, some of whom Trachtenberg called Tuesday to deliver the news of his retirement.
On the day he announced his retirement from GW after nearly 20 years in Rice Hall, the cap to his soda told him "You're doing the right thing." A late dinner at a local Chinese restaurant yielded a fortune cookie that said, "Overlook not your own opportunity."
Trachtenberg didn't need the ironic one-liners for reassurance. After contemplating retirement for the last year, he made the decision to leave in July 2007. He made it with the dogged confidence that allowed him to inject his values and personality into every nook and cranny of this school, from the gold column in the Marvin Center to the many scholarships and awards that bear his last name.
Trachtenberg is approaching 70, but a lack of enthusiasm and energy is not behind his decision to step down from the presidency. He has never let up from a relentless schedule - he returned from a trip to Hong Kong earlier this week - and still relishes the dogfights that come with making University policy. Rather, at an age when most people think about moving down South, he sees opportunities - opportunities to teach, spend more time with his family and learn.
Even at a school that has had only 15 presidents since its inception in 1821, Trachtenberg has been here a long time: 19 years when he leaves. "That's longer than FDR," he quipped Tuesday night. He's seen presidents come and go at D.C.'s other universities; he's seen mayors and presidents come and go; and he's seen his wife ease out of full-time employment and his two sons graduate from college and start careers.
"I just felt like it was time," said Trachtenberg, who spent more time on vacation this summer than he has in years past.
Still recovering from jet lag after his return from Hong Kong, Trachtenberg sat down for a late dinner Tuesday night at Meiwah - hot and sour soup and a shrimp plate. Tacked to a wall behind him was a photo of him and the restaurant's owner. The other photos gracing the wall all contained notable figures, some of whom Trachtenberg called Tuesday to deliver the news of his retirement.
