After 34 years, Towns retiring from Princeton athletics

After 34 years of working with thousands of Princeton athletes, Hank Towns will retire as the University's head equipment manager after the 2003 football season.

"Princeton has been great to me," said Towns. "I had the opportunity to do all kinds of things and meet all kinds of great people. I had a chance to meet one president (Bill Clinton), several governors, presidents of the University, movie stars and sports celebrities. Where else can you work and say that? I've had the opportunity to travel to countries that I never dreamed I'd get to go to. And more than that, I got to work with some great athletes and coaches."

Towns started at Princeton on Oct. 26, 1970, and his current tenure is the second longest of any active member of the Department of Athletics, behind only facilities foreman John Cruser. Towns arrived less than a year after the first women joined Princeton as undergraduates, and he has worked to help the women's athletic programs grow since then.

"Hank Towns is a legendary part of Princeton athletics and will be missed by the many athletes who passed through Caldwell Field House during his tenure," said Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich, the captain of the 1978 Princeton football team. "Though future generations of Tigers will not experience his humor, wise words and professionalism, he is sure to remain an institution at Princeton University."

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Contact: Lauren Robinson-Brown (609) 258-3601