By Larry B. Dendy
When David Fletcher was a student at the university in the late 1950s, two of his fraternity brothers died. Back then, the university didn’t give students as much support in dealing with such  a traumatic experience as they receive today. The fraternity members even had to get special permission to attend the funerals.
If a student dies today, the university responds immediately, assisting family members, offering counseling to other students and helping with funeral or memorial services.
David Fletcher handles those difficult duties--a task made easier, he says, by having been there.
“I understand what the family and friends are going through,” he says. “I tell them, ‘I’ve been right where you are. I know what you’re feeling.’ And that seems to help.”
Compassion and caring--whether for a bereaved family, a hospitalized student or a student struggling with academic problems--are hallmarks of Fletcher’s more than three decades in the division of student affairs.
And his coming retirement at the end of August has left many people wondering, “Who can fill David Fletcher’s shoes?”
“It’s hard to imagine him not being part of the university,” says Tommy Altman, assistant director of student affairs, who has worked with Fletcher since 1968. “His impact is so far-reaching, and the number of people he has helped is just incredible. He’s always there with a smile.”
Fletcher graduated from UGA in 1961 with a degree in political science and economics, and later earned master’s and educational specialist degrees in student personnel administration.
 He joined the university in 1967 as assistant director of student activities. In 1972 he became assistant to the dean of student affairs. He will retire as assistant vice president for student affairs.
But titles do little to describe Fletcher’s job.
He is the person students go to when they need to withdraw from a class, get an excused absence, get help with an incomplete or request a grade change.
He visits ill and injured students in the hospital and contacts parents in emergencies, often making personal visits to homes. He helps with arrangements when a student dies, and provides grief counseling for students.
He established, and now supervises, the Office of Disability Services and he is the university’s liaison with the Campus Ministry Association.
“The kind of extraordinary attention David gives to the needs of students is essential to making this a student-centered university,” says President Michael F. Adams. “His exceptional professionalism, and genuine compassion, will be deeply missed.”
Fletcher’s job requires that he work closely with faculty members, who have come to rely both on his understanding of their academic requirements and on his sensitivity to student problems.
Says Elizabeth Barth, director of undergraduate programs in the Terry College of Business: “David listens, he is perceptive and caring, and he is totally genuine. You can’t go to school and learn to be a David Fletcher.”
Fletcher, who estimates he writes at least 100 letters a week on behalf of students, says he learned to deal with student problems from two legendary UGA masters--former Dean of Men William Tate and former Dean of Women Louise McBee.
The nature of much of Fletcher’s work leads many to assume, erroneously, that he has a background in the ministry or counseling. And his gentle voice, friendly smile and upbeat personality trigger instinctive trust. But that demeanor can be deceiving.
“He has a high level of compassion, but he’s also no-nonsense,” says Jane Russell, director of recreational sports and a friend of 27 years. “He’s not easily duped.”
Fletcher can tell stories of amazing ingenuity shown by students trying to get out of an academic dilemma. A student once concocted an elaborate fake funeral program to explain why he wasn’t in class; another student presented a near-perfect forged letter from a priest to explain class absences; another falsely claimed she couldn’t pay fees because her parents had died.
“I can tell when I’m being used, and I have no problem saying, ‘This time it’s up to you. You take care of it,’ ” Fletcher says.
But his job is mainly about helping, not disciplining. What he’s most proud of are the former students who come by his office, or stop him on the street, to say thanks.
“It’s been a helping relationship, and I’m glad I could be there at a pivotal point in their lives,” he says.
Fletcher plans to fill his retirement days with church and community work, helping his four children with home projects, spending time with his six grandchildren and traveling with his wife. He is especially committed to serving on the board of directors of the Nuci Phillips Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization named for a deceased musician whom Fletcher helped when he was a student.
“I’ve been challenged and blessed,” Fletcher says of his UGA career. “There has been sadness, but there was much in the sadness that has been very meaningful.”
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