College in the 80s

David Rotell's stories from Syracuse University in the 80s usually garner one response: ""There's no way that happened." When attending college, you assume every school in the country is just like yours—students enjoying antics while pursuing their degrees. But most of the crazy stories Rotell has heard from other universities sound like an average Monday or Tuesday night at SU. Rotell and his friends learned some of our most valuable lessons in life by making mistakes. "College in the 80s: One Syracuse Story" is a collection of gnarly, tubular, and bodacious stories from one of New York's finest—and sublimest—institutions.

The girls' dorm rooms were filled with Patrick Nagel prints. The bars smelled like Polo and Giorgio. And David Rotell can still feel the soft grass in front of Hendricks Chapel on the quad of Syracuse University. The 1980s are defined by the music, the movies, and the fashion. But for Rotell, going to college in the 80s was the ride of a lifetime. His stories from his alma mater usually garner one response: ""There's no way that happened." When attending college, you assume every school in the country is just like yours—students enjoying antics while pursuing their degrees. But most of the crazy stories Rotell has heard from other universities sound like an average Monday or Tuesday night at SU. The classroom education at SU was paramount, and the students were there to get our diplomas, but they also had the opportunity to learn about life. Many of them learned their most valuable lessons by making mistakes in college. Rotell made just about every mistake in college—some more than once—but those mistakes would shape the path he would follow for life. He still relives those experiences with friends that he cherishes to this day. He can still hear their voices in some of the classic tales. "College in the 80s: One Syracuse Story" is a collection of gnarly, tubular, and bodacious stories from one of New York's finest—and sublimest—institutions.

David Michael Rotell was born in Manhattan, New York in 1965, the adopted son of Joyce and Roger Rotell. He was raised mostly by his mother after his parents divorced early in his youth. In his junior year of high school, with a heavy interest in the space program, he began to pursue colleges for aerospace engineering. After visiting the Air Force Academy and Bucknell, among others, he decided to go to Syracuse University in the Fall of 1983 to enroll in their aerospace program. After freshman year, Rotell joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity and took up bartending on the Syracuse University campus to earn money for school. He later switched majors and graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the Maxwell School at Syracuse. He never lost his love for aerospace and his desire to fly. After several years in the medical profession working with surgical lasers, he decided to work in the finance industry for a brief time, but success led him to drop anchor and remain in the field. He eventually moved into a National Manager role for Wachovia Bank and later, Prosperity Home Mortgage. He has sat on numerous boards for the industry and currently is the president elect for 2022 with the Mortgage Bankers Association in the Metro Washington area. Rotell still loves adventure and has been piloting a Cessna 172 as he looks to graduate from his student pilot's license to his full pilot's license. He enjoys the peaceful freedom in the sky. He and his wife Denise have four children, Gianna Rose, Kayla Bryn, Ava Gabrielle, and Jacob Emerson. After living in the Philadelphia area, they moved to Northern Virginia outside of Washington DC in 2004 where they happily reside today. He's considered these years with his wife and his four children the best chapter of his life. After spending wonderful time in London and Paris with his wife, he's looking forward to exploring the rest of the world and making his dreams come true.