![]() In the half-century interval, he catapulted Virginia Tech to new heights. Steger, the architect, completed his dream retirement home just before he died. Visionaries often are dreamers.Īs a teenager, he sat on the James River bluffs of his family farm with his girlfriend, who later became his wife, and conjured designing his home there. He could see over the horizon at emerging trends and translate into concepts affecting our business. Charlie was all that.Ĭharles undoubtedly was a visionary. No one wants to let down a compassionate, pleasant, and fair leader. Work for a guy like that and you jump at the chance to please and excel. Because we shared the vision and commitment, we wholeheartedly responded. Loyalty begets motivation and initiative. Not because they are told, but because the leader has helped them see it, too. When I drafted columns or speeches for him, he invariably changed the “I” to “we.” ![]() He rarely used the language of sports, but teamwork was paramount. For sure, he recognized talent, surrounded himself with capable people, and let them do the work. My colleagues would agree - he was a joy to work with.Ĭharlie respected others, regardless of talent. Charles Steger was a driven person but a genuinely nice guy. Let’s face it accomplished executives are often hard drivers, and well… sometimes jerks. I had the pleasure of working with Charles for almost a quarter century and share here a few character traits we all might emulate. All were fine persons and successful administrators. I knew six Virginia Tech presidents and worked for four. Originally published in the May 13 edition of The Roanoke TimesĮlsewhere on these pages and in this newspaper earlier this week were stories explaining the consequential impact the late Charles Steger had on the state’s flagship land-grant university, our region, and the Commonwealth. From Larry Hincker, Associate Vice President and Spokesperson Emeritus
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