EMP-51

Greetings Alumni,

You wouldn't have thought it was true when you read Michael "Mec" Crane's story of a radio report of some interesting legislation that recently passed in Tennessee, but the B.S. pulled a no-show in the last edition of EMP-51 Class Notes.

That's right, it was all fact.

As for this edition of EMP-51 Class Notes, you have given me no choice but to give you the tired prediction of having a difficult time sorting fact from B.S.

Let's get right into the news with a special report from our newly established London Bureau of EMP-51 Class Notes and correspondent Steve "Love Boy" Sullins:

News Roundup: The McDonough Exploits continue.

	Steve 'Love Boy' Sullins and Coleman McDonough of EMP-51 pass the time with Big Ben in London.
	Larry Murphy EMP-51 takes a break from Semitool-ing around the Great White North.
	Desi 'Daisy O'Lady' O'Grady EMP-51 rocks the house with some smokin' guitar licks.

Chapter 1: In late October (in typical fashion), Coleman McDonough flies to London to visit Steve "Love Boy" Sullins all the way from Los Angeles on a trip that has his feet on British soil less than 48 hours.

Ostensibly, the purpose of the trip is to visit with British pol Tony Blair, but after an international incident at Heathrow Customs, phone calls to Downing Street are no longer returned. Instead, Coleman chooses to party with Prince William and have breakfast with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Initial culture shock over language barriers and left-hand driving are overcome when the local American Express customer service manager meets Coleman at Paddington Station to personally drive him into the city.

Coleman is overheard exclaiming, "You mean I can get quadruple the AMEX points because the pound is worth $2?" Visits to the usual tourist sites ensue (see picture).

One of the highlights of the trip comes late Friday night, when Coleman, needing a ride between clubs, has a flashback of our time in China and hijacks an already overloaded bicycle rickshaw.

Chapter 2: Later in 2004, Coleman drops in again on Steve "Love Boy" Sullins (what's with this guy?) to celebrate New Year's in Key West. Word has it this trip also originated in Los Angeles, albeit via extensive layovers in Honolulu and Miami.

Coleman arrives, convertible top down, adorned in a flowered shirt and with little exception remains attired as such for several days. On New Year's Eve, Coleman takes the celebration to heart and loads up on beads and another classic shirt from the McDonough Collection. The next morning Coleman and Steve take to the phones, tracking down long-lost Kellogg alumni.

The Chapter 2 highlight: Coleman spinning a fantastic yarn to a local tavern crowd about his days working on an oil rig, having defeated the keypad encryption to the oil rig's emergency escape submarine and going for a James Bond joyride under the sunny waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

McDonough. Coleman McDonough.

Chapter 3: March 2005, Innsbruck, Austria. Coleman jets across the Atlantic once again to take a few festive Easter ski runs down the slopes of the 1976 XII Olympiad with classmate Steve "Love Boy" Sullins."

Thanks for that in-depth report and analysis, Steve. We'll look forward to some sights from the slopes.

Serge Tarazi reports there is nothing new and he's missing you all and really looking forward to the reunion. Hamilton Gayden sends along the following good news: "Bill, all those long nights have affected memory. Did I email you that Xiaohong and I became the proud parents of Arthur Claiborne Gayden on Jan. 17? (Yes, Hamilton, you did.) Arthur and mom are doing well, and someday we'll all start sleeping normal hours again."

Congratulations on all fronts, Hamilton. Here's that email in question: "Our big news is that Xiaohong brought into the world our son, Arthur Claiborne Gayden, on Jan. 17. Arthur weighed in at a sizeable 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and weighed 21 inches. Mom and Arthur are recovering well, big brother Charles is excited and Hamilton is exhausted."

I hope you can catch up on some sleep soon.

Clay Callan surfaced with this report: "Hope all is well. Ann, Brenna and I have been busy over the last year. I took a new job at Cardinal Health about a year ago as operations director at a pharmaceutical packaging facility. Cardinal Health is a global product/service provider to the healthcare industry in development, manufacturing, packaging and distribution. I'm having fun working through the organizational/cultural issues required to improve performance and implement lean/six sigma. It's amazing how similar the operational issues are regardless of industry.

"We love the area. I work in NE Philly and live just south of Doylestown. Lots to do around Philly with NYC, Washington, D.C., and the Jersey Shore not too far away. If anyone's ever in the Philly area, I know where to go for a good cheese steak. The reunion sounds like a good time in Austin. Depending on the dates, I look forward to catching up with everyone this summer."

Clay, we look forward to catching up with you, too. Thanks for the info.

Gene "Mahatma" McMahon reports he's met up with Chris Jurasek for lunch a few times now that he frequents Milwaukee with his Rexnord position. Chris is doing well and misses the intellectual challenges of marketing in a global economy. He also claims to have spoken with Larry Murphy, Serge Tarazi and Marcus Zimmermann, and all three sound fit and fiddle. It just goes to show you, there's no end to the possibilities of modern medicine.

Hope all's well with the gang. Gene, as usual, thanks for your contribution. We're always glad to get your perspective on things.

Larry Murphy checked in: "I love you, Bill!" (I love you, too, Larry.) "Nothing much new here in sunny Montana. I bought a condo that is really nice. Nice view of the mountains. We've enjoyed skiing and snowmobiling during the little free time I have. I hope to join EMP-51 at Zimm's house this spring. Hope all are doing well.

P.S. Love the Wolverine basketball team. Tommy A. is such a great coach."

Larry, glad to see your continued admiration of the Maize and Blue. Too bad we can't win games.

Ignacio Velez recently checked in: "Thanks for the note, hope everything is well with you and your family as well, and hope that your Latin touch still shines." Does it? (Si, amigo.) Everything is going smoothly down here in Colombia, with a lot of help from your great boss, Mr. Bush. (Seriously.) I promise to send you some fresh pictures of the scenery down here and my family as well." Thanks, Ignacio. I'll need some fresh material for the next issue.

Jeff "Anything for Money" Hederick forwarded the lucky chain email promising vast returns of wealth from Microsoft. Any checks in the mail yet, JH? David "Krispy Crème"  Hè caught up with the latest from China: "Here is a quick update on what has been happening to me in 2004. The year has been quite eventful for me. My mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the beginning of the year and passed away at the end of March in Beijing. The only thing I can take comfort in from this unfortunate event is that I was able to move my office to Beijing and be with her during her last days. My father is doing fine and has been a great role model of courage and strength for me. Want to thank Bernie and folks at the EMP-51 office who sent me a beautiful condolence card to show their warm heart and care.

"I also had an operation at the end of the year. My knee had been bothering me for quite a few months and I decided to get it fixed. I made a quick trip to Chicago during the Thanksgiving holiday and had it done by our beloved classmate, Dr. John Cherf. The operation was successful and I am pretty much back to normal now.

"Our family went back to the States for a quiet vacation in the summer, spending more than a week of wonderful time in Yellowstone National Park. During the Christmas holiday we went to Bali for a short vacation together with my father. We were very fortunate to leave Indonesia the night before the earthquake and tsunami hit the region. Our hearts go out to the people who are badly impacted by this tragic event, especially the people in Thailand and Indonesia, where we have spent some great times and fallen in love with the wonderful local people during our recent vacations and on my frequent business trips.

"Kids are doing great here as well. Ben is in 10th grade and enjoying showing off his intellectual skills at Quiz Team and Model United Nation Team. He gave up playing piano and now concentrates on his saxophone. Nathan is a happy first-grader and constantly extends his charm to everyone around him. All the best to you and your family."

Right back at you, David. We're sorry for your loss and wish your family the best.

Anthony Marino weighs in: "Well, I'm exited to contribute. Ohio State trounced Michigan and went on to win its bowl game, while Michigan backed into the Rose Bowl and was bounced around by a bunch of rednecks from Texas. I have sold my interest in NCi and have assumed the role of VP of operations for Toyota Financial Services. In this role I'll have accountability for all customer contact. Peace out, dude."

Thanks for the sports report and good news, Anthony. Welcome to the dark side of the automotive industry. "Anthony ...I am your father ..."

Larry Smith reports he has nothing to report, but enjoys keeping posted on what is reported. Stay in touch, Larry.

Chris Keil allegedly attended the Kellogg Marketing Conference at the end of January in Evanston. Did anyone see him? Photos welcome for the next issue.

The entire world was shocked by the tsunamis, but Bernie Birt forwarded us a truly shocking note from Julie Cisek Jones: "As you have likely heard in the recent news, Dean Jain and his family were in Phuket, Thailand, during the recent tsunami. We are absolutely delighted to confirm that the dean and his family are well and got back safely to Bangkok (where he was teaching). Please keep Dean Jain, his family and all those affected in this terrible tragedy in your thoughts. Be in touch if I can answer any questions."

Bernie/Julie, thanks for keeping us in the loop. We're happy to hear Dean Jain and his family found their way to safety. Our thoughts are with those who were less fortunate. Also, Bernie, thanks for taking care of Keil on his October visit to Evanston. Videos and books with lots of pictures are a great call to keep him occupied.

Desi O'Grady caught up with some music news: "Attached is a picture of my band, Ashley Falls, playing a club here in Kansas City. The keyboard player got cut off in the picture. It's a lot of fun, but I cannot figure out why Elizabeth, Kevin and Heather keep missing practice." Daisy, as their agent, I'm telling you it is venue driven. Let's see some arenas on the schedule and we'll talk.

Helen Chionis kindly checked in to see if Yours Truly was attending the Rose Bowl. Sorry I missed it, but I hear a Texas wannabe by the name of Zimmermann was there. Surprised he didn't catch a few winks on your porch swing. Helen also reached out during a recent trip to Chicago, but I haven't heard what happened there. Hopefully some EMP-51 comrades met up and will have some more stories for me in a future issue. Stay in touch, Helen.

Chris Jurasek and Rob Sit came through with news of Professor Artur Raviv's candidacy for PeopleSoft's board of directors. Good Luck, Professor Raviv. In a separate communication, Chris wonders if it's too late to go back into the EMP program to take advantage of the new South Florida campus. Well, Chris, I don't know about getting another degree, but I hear they have a slew of make-up courses for EMP-51ers!

	The Herreras and the Chins (Yours Truly) of EMP-51 take a moment for a Wildcat cheer in the 'Big House' last November.

As you'll recall, I sent out a call for any hearty NU alumni to join me in the Big House as the Cats faced off with the Wolverines last fall. None other than Guillermo Herrera and his beautiful bride Clara were in town to visit their daughter in Ann Arbor. I chose to commit my head (hat) to UM and my heart (sweatshirt) to Kellogg. With the company I was able to keep, I couldn't lose.

Chris Keil reports he's moving on from Novocell Semiconductor as president and CEO and will be looking at new opportunities here over the next few months. He's planning on continuing in the marketing/business development/venture space. Keep us posted on your next move, Chris.

Kevin Counihan puts it simply: "I'm sitting here watching the Red Sox desperately try to win one damn game from the Yankees and wishing I was back in Evanston with EMP-51." Well said, Kevin. Keep it coming.

Jim "Jimminy Gibbons" Gibbs sends us this good news: He's been promoted to vice president of integrated supply chain for Honeywell's engines, systems and accessories (ESA) business in Tempe, Ariz. ESA is a $1.2 billion business with approximately 2,700 employees in Arizona, Indiana, North Carolina, Indiana, Canada and Singapore. In his new role, Jim will be responsible for all supply, operations and distribution for the ESA business.

All the best to you, James. Hope you enjoy your varied travel schedule. Looks like you'll be spending double the time in Indiana. FYI, Marc Zimmermann is also working on a reunion. Stay tuned for details, but don't mess with Texas. As soon as I get info, you'll get it, too.

Kannan Srikanth wanted to make sure those of you with changing email addresses keep him up to date so he can update emp51@yahoogroups.com. You can reach him at ksrikanth@envision-tech.com. Thanks, Kannan, for helping keep the EMP-51 flame alive.

In closing, I'm pleased to announce my appointment as the North America marketing manager for Ford Racing Technology. I'm responsible for marketing strategy, planning and operations for racing-related activities at Ford. Having said that, I'm very focused on NASCAR and hope to see you at a race near you.

I'm also planning on assisting with the driver development program and have my eye on Rob "Speed Racer" Moll as my first candidate. Ah, bracket racing in the Tribune Auditorium ... those were the days. Keep those cards and letters coming. You're what makes it great.

Yours Truly, Bill

P.S. This installment of EMP-51 Class Notes marks the fifth round of "Can You Guess the B.S.?" To enter, you must reply back to me with some news about you and your guess as to which of the aforementioned stories is NOT TRUE. There will be numerous prizes awarded for correct answers. Multiple guesses are allowed.