In February 2013, it was inside a building on Spruce Street, where he announced his retirement, explaining to the media that he wished to spend more time with his children and grandchildren. He could have made the announcement in Washington D.C. or elsewhere in the state, but he never forget – as the cliché goes – where he came from, saying, “They can take the kid out of Paterson, but they can’t take Paterson out of the kid.” He often identified himself as a kid from the city, with this school he will be memorialized as “a kid from Paterson,” said Irving.