1988

Loading up some pictures this time from our Reunion (better late than never), I hope you like them. If you still haven't developed the film from your cameras you toted at the Reunion (that was a joke), send them along. Many of the photos attached are courtesy of Cheryl Green. She told me that Missy Lavender was standing right behind Oprah Winfrey in Grant Park during Obama's acceptance speech. Check it out.

Jeff Hayes and I are destined to get together on one of my trips to Fort Worth, Texas. I just need to book a later flight to make it happen. His daughter Allison is a sophomore at Duke, son Kirk is a senior and daughter Jennifer is a freshman. Jeff is still at VHA, there for more than 15 years. They kindly hosted Steve Trauber, wife Leticia and kids (Mathew, Lexi, Jake) when the Traubers needed to evacuate Hurricane Ike last year.

	From left: Liz Adams, Darchelle Garner and Darlene Sowell, all '88
	Carolyn Clute and Liz Adams, both '88
	From left: Mara Saltz Einstein, Susan Ward Underwood and Mariellen Sullivan Carpenter, all '88
	From left: Darchelle Garner, Cheryl Green, Ken Watson and Terrence Godbolt, all '88
	From left: Deb Schwartz, Loretta Whitcomb Jacobs and Carolyn Clute, all '88
	From left: Darlene Sowell, Ian Leopold, Scott Walker, Cheryl Green and Liz Adams, all '88

Fred Salloum has made an incredible career move. In October, he "gave birth" to "Baba's Kitchen" (babaskitchen.net), a Mediterranean café located in Baltimore. He loves it, and acknowledges that being an entrepreneur is the hardest job he's ever held, but very rewarding. Rich Levine visited him and helped out Fred on a busy Saturday night. If you're ever there, you need to check out Fred's place!

Ken Watson was named vice president of information technology for Kinetic Concepts Inc. in September. This medical manufacturer in San Antonio, Texas, has about $2 billion in annual revenue. The three groups he has responsibility for include IT compliance, information security and business continuity. He's also part of a leadership team putting in a global Oracle R12 system, so there is some international travel in Ken's future. Ken is working in San Antonio as well, doing the business/family commute back and forth to Chicago. Ken's oldest son Kenneth II (KJ) has an accounting degree from Tuskegee, and until a great role becomes available in that space, he's working part-time for Ingram Micro and as a substitute math teacher. Second son Steven is at Missouri Science and Technology (Rolla) and was Freshman of the Year in his conference after throwing 19 touchdowns and 1,700 plus yards in 2007. His third son Robert is at Bradley University majoring in mechanical engineering, and fourth son Lloyd is a high school junior.

Cindy Lurie Diamond is running her own innovation consulting business (ignitenewthinking.com), with some new innovations in new product ideation, concept development, qualitative research and facilitation. Visit her blog at ideafacilitators.wordpress.com.

Scott Ableman was named chief marketing officer of Simplexity. Scott had been at Simplexity and then did a stint as CMO at Network Solutions, and was welcomed back by Simplexity this year.

Amy Principi Wahlert works and volunteers at multiple churches in her area and is overseeing bathroom and stairway renovations. Daughter Molly is going to graduate high school this summer and is waiting on the good news from colleges. Son Nick is a freshman and is on tech crews for school plays and musicals. Also, the family attended a Wahlert Family Reunion of more than 100 people and saw many fresh, new related faces in the crowd.

Tom and Diane MacDonald achieved a milestone now that daughter Sarah (16) can drive herself to ballet classes. Diane has 15 more free minutes a day. Their son Todd is into cross country, with the 3K as his top race, and finished seventh out of 130 in a local championship. Daughter Carissa is in middle school and is an equestrian. Kevin, a second grader, is like Tom and is into math and sports. Tom is a 22-year Intel veteran and globetrotter and serves as general manager for server platform business. He is curling and golfing when he's not on an airplane. Diane teaches art literacy programs at the local grammar school and is troop leader for Junior Girl Scouts, surviving several overnight trips with a dozen 10-year-olds.

Pat Ciriaks and family took a family trip to the Southwest and spent a week in Land of Enchantment for some beautiful sights and fly fishing. Pat is with Creation Technologies, leading various acquisition activities. He's catechist for 12 sophomores at their church. He's readily available to any of us, as another person addicted to his "crackberry."

I enjoyed dinner with Brent Koehler in January and learned his consulting practice has expanded to include clients in Chicago. Exercise activities now include cross country skiing — it's good to live in Minnesota for that. His son Michael (15) is taller and bigger than Brent now. The family traveled a bit last year, including the Bahamas and San Jose, Calif., for pleasure and family, and Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown, Va., to take in some rich history.

Dennis Sheehan attended a Jimmy Buffet concert in Las Vegas to celebrate wife Mary's 50th birthday. Big events for them included a family reunion in Florida. His three girls are growing up. Claire (19) is at the University of Portland majoring in chemistry, Katherine (17) is applying to colleges and Erin (16) is a swimming starlet. Dennis has joined a small company called Immersion (IMMR), which develops technology for touch screen devices.

Send reunion pictures. Stay in touch. Send me your holiday letters from '08, I'll strip out the details on Aunt Edna's bunions and simply focus on the good stuff.