William Kretzschmar Retires

by Jessica DeMarco-Jacobson

If you walked into the Founders Garden on the evening 13 Nov., you might’ve mistaken it for a scene out of The Great Gatsby. Hosted by the Willson Center, the Founders House looked especially elaborate, flooding with a sea of well-dressed faculty, staff, and students from across several departments. And like a The Great Gatsby plotline (but with a much less tragic ending), the crowd discussed the profound impact that a certain, recently-retired someone had on their professional journeys. That someone is Dr. William Kretzschmar, Harry and Jane Willson Professor in Humanities, who has decided to retire after a 38-year appointment at UGA.

Funnily enough, Dr. Kretzschmar turned down his first job offer—not because he wasn’t interested—but because he needed more time to put together the best package to bring the Linguistic Atlas Project from the University of Chicago to Athens.

After accepting his second offer, Dr. Kretzschmar began his UGA career in the Fall of 1986. Over those 38 years, he has watched UGA evolve into what he considers a “great national university.” About 25 years ago, he also had the opportunity to become the university’s chief information officer and head of EITS, but he preferred to teach instead.

“What I have always liked best was my students and my research/writing, and English and Linguistics at UGA have let me do that for 38 years,” said Dr. Kretzschmar, “What more could anybody ask?”

Dr. William Kretzschmar began his academic career as a medievalist, but has since become a linguist. In addition to his full-time appointment at UGA, he also has an academic appointment at the University of Oulu in Finland. To say that his academic career is impressive would be an incredible understatement. Just to name a few accomplishments on his 32-page, single-spaced CV, Dr. Kretzschmar has taught a wide variety of English and Linguistics courses, published or co-written five books, and participated in countless boards and committees. But Dr. Kretzschmar thinks his greatest accomplishment is the students he has taught.

During his time at UGA, Dr. Kretzschmar directed 34 PhD dissertations and many MA theses, but his approach has remained the same: to allow students to think for themselves and write what they were interested in. His students have continued their academic careers as professors, and decided to work in the digital humanities, or joined different sectors.

 “It is very rewarding indeed to have helped my students get a start on something that they wanted to do,” said Dr. Kretzschmar.

Although Dr. Kretzschmar is retiring from UGA, he is not retiring from his academic life. He plans to continue travelling abroad to Europe to give conference papers and teach, especially when he has invitations, like his next one in London this spring. 

Dr. Kretzschmar remarked, “I have written quite a few things but I have more to do: my projects are lined up like the planes getting ready to land in Atlanta!”

Outside of Park Hall and outside of academia, Dr. Kretzschmar enjoys travelling, trying new restaurants, watching the Braves and various football teams, and catching up on his favorite sci-fi and British detective shows. And lastly, he reads a lot. According to his last count, he has over 500 books on his Kindle!

Dr. Kretzschmar’s favorite hobby is to spend time with his family. He recalled how his sons would sometimes accompany him to his job when they were under the weather. Fast forward some years later, Dr. Kretzschmar now spends time with his grandsons. It sounds like Dr. Kretzschmar will have a very cozy retirement with his loved ones.

The people of Park Hall will miss Dr. Kretzschmar, but we hope he has a restful retirement!