1986

Not a lot to report this time. There was a great cocktail party in New York last fall. People dressed like grownups and had adult conversations. About a dozen classmates and assorted significant others were there. Maybe we can get some pictures in the next issue.

I did receive many nice Christmas cards. John Coons is still with Citigroup and has been travelling internationally. Tony Mann and family are doing well. The building boom in Greenwich has slowed down. No more mansions, just 6,000- to 8,000-square-foot cottages. Ada Koch is having great success with her painting. She is now banned in Boston — or at least one church near Shawnee Mission is not a fan of quality art. Ada and Kevin have been in their house for five years and it is almost in livable condition. When it is, they will move. Like many of you parents, they have sent their 12-year-olds off to college. Maybe I need to do a better job of keeping in touch. Kevin is still working on his Corvair collection. It has taken me a long time to put this together, but Ralph Nader wrote a book about the Corvair, Unsafe At Any Speed, and Kevin works in an emergency room. So do the Corvair drivers keep the emergency room full or does Kevin collect his cars after the accidents? Ada keeps busy with art, church, and RJ’s school and competed in her first triathlon this summer. She handled the swimming portion with two other women handling the running and the bike running. The trio is called the Fot Flashes. Ada, when you get a chance, let me know which joint in Kansas City has the best BBQ.

Mary and Mark Schwartz had another busy year. Mary has been working on the Northwest/Delta merger. Somebody has to work out the details of sending passengers to LA and bags to NY. She is transitioning into the IT department and will be able to stay in Minneapolis. Mark continues to expand his 161 Design wholesale and import business. He is maintaining his workout regime and eating healthfully. He played some golf with their daughter Alex last summer. He and Kyle built a bike pump track in the backyard and both of them are getting workouts. This winter, Mark was a member of the local ski patrol.

Ron Leaf was in Milwaukee last fall and we got together for dinner. His daughters are doing well in college, but maybe they should study more and date less. Just kidding, they are doing great. I heard from Dave Volk, who I think lives in various airports, but we are going to try to get together for a Brewers game this spring. I have been having some nice political conversations on Facebook with Nikki Pope. One of us is right and one of us is wrong. One of us is stubborn and the other tries to be flexible. Also, Charlie Baker is interviewing for a new job. He has to interview with 6,000,000 people and the process won’t be finished until November. Speaking of interviewing, Brad Kime interviewed somebody named Adrienne and was surprised it was a he. Upcoming interviews are with Sandy, Terry, Jody and Irving. Good luck, Brad.

I was skiing in January with Kevin Damon and his family. Kevin is having fun trying to work out a compromise with the city authorities regarding a tree house. Apparently, if it is well-built and looks permanent, it is not allowed. But if it looks makeshift and poses a hazard to children, it will not be allowed. Kevin is trying to figure out if there is any middle ground. Besides skiing, Kevin and his sons (Parker and Travis) and I played the Utah Tiddlywinks championships. His daughter Katie played the piano and harp to entertain us during the match and wife Kathy made one gourmet meal after another. I will go golfing with John Baumann in June. Other vacation plans involve spending a long weekend in Spring Green, Wis., in July and a week in Door County in August. Laurie and I are still teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I am looking forward to hearing from all of you soon.