Monday afternoon, many of us were surprised upon hearing the news that Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine would be stepping away from one of the most prestigious academic offices in a little over a year.

Later that evening, some of us bid adieu to cherished IOP Director Sen. Alan K. Simpson and his lovely wife Ann, and wished them well as they left the busy brick sidewalks of Harvard for the serene, open prairies of Wyoming.

These departures, although particularly important for our University community, are only indicative of a continuing trend of recent farewells and departures in the outside world. Our president, after all, isn't the only Rudy grabbing headlines.

Last Friday, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that he would not run in the Senate race against First Lady Hillary Clinton, and instead would focus on treatment for his prostate cancer. His announcement ended months of speculation and the saddened mayor, buffeted by the tempests of cancer and marital turmoil, quietly left the national spotlight.

Such dramatic turns of events may be shocking and unexpected in the world of politics or the university, but sports fans are all too familiar with tragic departures and emotional exits.

Last year was known as the "Year of Retirement" for good reason. Three of the best athletes in their respective sports did the hardest thing for a great athlete to do - step away from the game he loves.

A year ago this month, one of the greatest quarterbacks in football's storied history hung up his cleats for good. In the May press conference announcing his retirement, a teary-eyed John Elway bid farewell not only to the team for which he played so tirelessly, but also the fans who cheered him on through good times and bad. Only Dan Marino, who also has recently left the sports stage, had more career yards and completions.

A month before Elway's departure, the greatest man to ever play hockey announced he would not return for another season. Wayne Gretzky, in his self-effacing manner, told the world that his decision not to play was "tough and hard" and that he owed everything in his life to the game of hockey. Certainly, hockey and sports fans owe many of their fondest memories to someone who was aptly called The Great One.

And who could forget that January afternoon last year when Michael Jordan, generally considered the best basketball player in history and arguably one of the best athletes of the century, took his final curtain call.

All of these dramatic departures gave many young sports fans their first glimpse of fading heroes. Those in generations past know all too well that sports icons come and go, with the great ones always remaining wistfully in the national consciousness.

This longing led Simon and Garfunkel to pen the lyric, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you." Replacing DiMaggio with Jordan, Gretzky, Elway or Marino would convey that same emotion for a new era of Americans.

Even more tragic for sports fans in recent months, though, has not been the purposeful exit but the tragic passing of young and promising athletes.

This year alone, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas, Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills, and, as of last weekend, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Malik Sealy died in automobile accidents. All men were in their early thirties and they had promising careers ahead of them.

Unfortunately, again, premature and tragic deaths are not new to sports. On New Year's Eve 1972, in a visit to deliver disaster-relief supplies to his native Nicaragua, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash. Clemente had been named the World Series MVP the previous year and would become the first Hispanic player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The list goes on, with countless names from all sports adding to the squandered promise and unspeakable grief such tragic departures represent.

We are saddened when our heroes leave - either fading into memory or untimely ripped from our admiring attention - because they have challenged our imaginations, entertained us with their skill and charmed us with their transcendent appeal. In essence, they have helped shape an enduring part of us with their performances and touched our lives with the effusive warmth of theirs.

So, in this season of departure, with seniors leaving to begin their lives in earnest, our president preparing to step down and the Simpsons riding off into the sunset, sports fans and others alike can take solace in centuries-old wisdom: "Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Remembering this dulls the inevitable pain of losing those who have left indelible marks on our lives and makes the memories they leave us all the more inspiring and reassuring.