EMP-25

What a wild ride this last year has been. It provided me with the chance to catch up with many of our classmates. For example, several months ago I had the opportunity to travel to the Bay Area and hooked up with Mary A. Gottenborg. I was also able to have dinner with Mary and her husband, Rob Stevenson, and their daughter at a restaurant in downtown Pleasanton, Calif. Mary has continued her career in the medical supplies and products arena and recently left Johnson & Johnson to join an entrepreneurial endeavor as marketing vice president. She loves her new job's pace and energy. She still pursues her passion of mountain climbing and sky diving whenever she can. Rob, to add to his accomplishments, swam out to Alcatraz, and is a "master swimmer." He still hopes to make that trip up the Mississippi river some day but is now enjoying his career as an executive recruiter specializing in healthcare.

I received a nice note from Fred J. Brunk in which he shared the following. "A likely place to run into me is either coming and going at O'Hare or backpacking in the Wisconsin woods." Fred is shuttling between Chicago and Washington, D.C., managing both the federal and national accounts sales teams for Siemens Building Technologies. He still has a difficult time keeping up with his family. His wife, Jeannie, is now at the Schuler foundation, son Alex was managing the Thompson campaign in South Carolina, Chris, a senior at UVA landed a plum investment banking position in New York City, and Patrick drags Fred (now an assistant scoutmaster) on camping trips all over the Midwest. Fred mentioned that he has been in the woods for years and is getting to the point where he can't tell the trees from the forest. Fred also has seen Peter Krol out walking his animal companion, "Girlie Dog." Peter is doing great now that he is retired and consulting with other dog walking services. Keep up the good work, Fred and Peter.

Here is some news that I received from Diana Walker. "Bill (William R. Knab) and I are still down in Naples, Fla. Bill just finished a 6-month assignment with Boston Scientific in Miami so we were a Florida bi-coastal couple for awhile. I am still CIO at WCI Communities Inc., a luxury homebuilder with properties in Florida, New York and D.C. It's a difficult time for the industry now. It's times like these when the principles espoused in Robert Neuschel's Servant Leader are heavily relied upon. My daughter Jennifer lives in Minneapolis and is an architect with a small firm. Bill and I are excited about starting wedding plans. Bill's oldest daughter, Katie, is doing well in Manhattan as an associate producer for Victoria's Secret. It looks like Bill will soon have another daughter in Manhattan, as Betsy graduates from Florida State this year with a degree in merchandising and fashion design and likes her big sis's lifestyle. Drew, Bill's son, is finishing up his masters in Public Administration at the University of Delaware. Our youngest (my son), Jeff, turned 21 in June and is working at the Nissan dealership in Jupiter, Fla. Jeff returned recently from an extended trip to Costa Rica and is quite the surfer dude. Thanksgiving is going to be a FABULOUS time for us as we have all five kids, boyfriends and both sets of parents coming to visit. We are looking forward to the bedlam. We hope you and every one of our classmates has a great 2008."

Not to long ago I received an informative note from Erik Olson. "Happy New Year! I hope all is well with everyone. It's been a while since I've dropped a note to you but I did want to let everyone know that I have moved to Denver area — wow what a place. I'm still with Greenfield Consulting Group enjoying the challenges and successes." Erik went on to say he is doing great and is loving the four feet of snow that Denver received so far in January. Skiing is clearly in his plans.

Here is update from Gregory A. Orland and his group. "Ah, when we last left the intrepid duo of Mike J. Bauer and Vince A. Inendino, they were frolicking in the springtime reliving the ultimate adventures of Lewis and Clark, as they braved through the unknown woods in their quest to find errant golf shoots. (Note: Please be advised that if you are searching for a way to recession-proof your portfolio it is highly recommended that you invest in companies that manufacture golf balls. Based on the play of Mike and Vince, the outlook for these companies appears strong across the board).

Professionally, Mike signed on with Richardson Electronics in LaFox, Ill., as the vice president of human resources. As I understand, Richardson Electronics was looking for a vice president of HR who took visceral satisfaction in conducting business ethically, but they hired Mike anyway. As for Vince, his company (Groupe Schneider of France) continues to spend money on acquisitions like they are drunken sailor who just reached port after years on the high seas. Vince has been country hopping from the U.S. to France to Spain and everywhere in between in his attempt to keep one step ahead of the law.

As for Brian L. Rucks and Steve A. Reimer the search has been unsuccessful. We had a lead that Brian had gone back to work but, as would be such a novel idea, it could not be authenticated. As for Steve, we checked all of the yacht clubs but our search was fruitless. They never did find him.

Scott Sarran joined Fidelis Senior Care as their chief medical officer in early 2006. Fidelis is a venture-backed startup Medical Advantage (i.e. Medicare HMO) Special Needs Plan serving nursing-facility and assisted living clients. Fidelis is doing business in three states and is the second-largest (to a United HealthCare subsidiary) player in this space.

Timothy R. Schulte provided the following update. "I am still at Intel EMEA, based in the Munich office, doing marketing in Europe. My family and I have been in Germany for three years and are really enjoying it. I am still struggling to learn German, but it's hard, since most Germans I meet speak perfect English. Last summer, a friend of mine and I visited the seven smallest countries in Europe (Malta, San Marino, Vatican City, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg) in seven days, just to see if we could do it, and we just barely made it."

Mary Paskell wrote: "Sounds like you have found a good spot at myAutoloan.com and that it continues to grow. I would love to hear from more of our classmates so that we all know what they are up to these days. I am embarking on a job change now and, boy, is it a challenge. I would love to leverage further into healthcare, using my skills and experience, but I've found it to be such a belabored process. On another note, just to put things into perspective, my daughter is 15. Can you believe that's how long it has been since we've been in class?"

Thomas M. Prescott sent a note that said: "Thanks for the Christmas wishes. Sorry I have not been more responsive for the Kellogg updates you do. We are great, very busy with work and life and all is well. Look forward to catching up with you and any of our classmates in the New Year."

Ann Adams wrote to say they were leaving for Florida. "The trip seems to get earlier every year. Two trips to Italy last year have me considering alternative living locations. I hope this note finds you and your family in good health. I'll be seeing Wendy Tweeten soon. Haven't seen her since August, so I am looking forward to some looooong talks. Hope to see some of our classmates this year. Come visit me in Florida."

Harry M. Johns and his wife, Cindy, spend most of their time hunting and fishing in the deep woods of Highlands, N.C. Rumor has it that Harry has a beard and a ponytail. Well, that's what R. Scott Blankenship said. Isn't life stranger than fiction?

Nicki Schuh continues to have fun as president and CEO of Heartfelt Charity Cards in Illinois.

I would again ask that you send me a note if for no other reason than to confirm your e-mail address. Well, that's it for now. Please keep the e-mails coming and let me know if there is anything that I can do for you.