Larry Murphy EMP-51 surfing on Flathead Lake in Montana

EMP-51

Greetings Alumni! It's been a while, but we're back!

Here's what we've got from the call for submissions:

Davin Lee let me know of a "local" dinner in the Bay Area last year that included Steve "Love Boy" Sullins, Chris Keil, Shi-Quing Wang and special out-of-town guest David He. No pictures were made available, for obvious reasons.

I don't quite understand how this wave happened, but Larry Murphy sent in a photo of himself surfing on Flathead Lake in Montana. What generated the wave, Larry? Here's his update:"Lots of things going on in the Murphy household since I last communicated. My son got married last May and my daughter got married May 2009. Both are Ohio State grads now, which I know pains you to no end. My company, Semitool, was sold to Applied Materials in California in December and I have stayed on as the GM of the business in Kalispell, Mont. I spend quite a bit of my time in Silicon Valley these days where the Hyatt in Santa Clara is like my second home. Integrating two companies with an extreme difference in cultures is certainly a challenge, but I must say it is going very well. I have taken up wake surfing and snowboarding. This has to be my mid life crisis since I plan to live to the ripe old age of 100. Who is that old dude in that picture anyway? I have been terrible in keeping up with everyone but I think of EMP-51 often. For you Facebook users, please 'friend' me."

Desi "Daisy" O'Grady checked in to send along his best wishes and update. "I am vice president of strategic markets at KGP Logistics. We are a distributor in the communications and technology industry. All is going well. Still in KC." Look him up if you're ever in the dust bowl!

Gene "Dr. No" McMahon writes to say: "I spoke with Marc Zimmerman last summer, and he was named to the prestigious National Economics Advisors Forum by President Obama in the fall. Having accurately predicted that the recession was real, Marc and his family are looking forward to moving to the D.C. area once the formal announcement is released to the press. Marc can't wait to belly-up to the federal stimulus trough. Marc will represent President Obama on all talk shows, and will convincingly assure all Americans that growth is just around the corner. Marc remains confident that his basketball skills are what will help him most in this future role, along with his Kellogg training and natural good looks. If all goes well, the White House has indicated to Marc that he could become governor of Texas before the recession ends."

Does Gene know we're not playing Guess the BS anymore?

Kevin Counihan also said hello (and not much more, but we appreciate any outreach we can get!).

Coleman McDonough continues his streak of never missing an EMP-51 update: "All is well here in Nigeria — very busy at this time!"

Nice to see brevity is becoming his strong suit.

Helen Chionis sent along her holiday letter, of which we provide some excerpts:

"I (Helen) have been really sick this year and on various chemos with really nasty side effects. I lost about 25 pounds and my tumor markers kept going up! I even had a blood transfusion this year! I am now on weekly chemo (Navelbine); it is working and I have actually gotten my appetite back in time for the holidays! I have been able to do some volunteer work and I am the treasurer of the Parent Teacher foundation at St. Mary's (Chris's school) and am fundraising co-chair for the cancer retreat organization, From Chrysalis to Wings.

"Our daughter Michelle (16) is a junior in high school and will be looking at colleges this summer, begging to get her driver's license and trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. She is interested in fashion, design, marketing and tattoo artistry (who said parenting isn't fun?). Son Chris (13) is still playing a number of sports — flag football, track, and soccer at St. Mary's. He speaks to me in text, "IDK" and "BRB" (I don't know and be right back, for the uninitiated). He is also a self-taught computer animator and in a long-term relationship with his Play Station.

"Husband Bill is still working with Stacy Blackman Consulting and has helped hundreds of clients get into top MBA programs in the U.S. and internationally. He also became an ordained minister this year — yes, Reverend Bill (might be a sign of the impending apocalypse)!"

Thanks Helen! You are amazing. Keep on keepin' on!

Finally, I (Bill) had the good fortune to be a speaker at the University of Michigan Global Operations Conference last fall. UM held a student competition for student groups from various schools around the country. As fate would have it, the Kellogg group won! Sniffing a PR opportunity like the marketer I am, I made my way to them in the afterglow/photo shoot for a photo and made some fast friends. (My odds of weaseling into a photo were pretty good because another finalist team was from UM)! Congratulations Team Kellogg!

That's it for now. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Winners at the UM Global Operations Conference student competition. From left: Bill Wynne EMP-51, David Remley, Dan Lindquist, David DeSandre and R. Nick Howerton, all '12, unless noted. Not pictured is me grabbing the big check and running like hell to the bank to cash it. I got caught waiting for the elevator. Congratulations Team Kellogg!