1994

Hello everyone!

We had a great 10th reunion! It was fun to see everyone and to refresh connections. We definitely missed those who were unable to come. The weather left much to be desired, but the company more than made up for it. We had a great turnout of classmates, spouses, partners, children and friends. Well over 200 people crowded, and I mean crowded, into the Erie CafÈ for our class party on Saturday night. The rest of the weekend was spent at various campus activities, including a very chilly barbecue and in smaller group get-togethers. Life is very busy for everyone, both personally and professionally. Conversation included family, travel, kids and work, with a big focus on finding balance and enjoyment at work and at home. Many thanks to the staff at Kellogg and the reunion committee for planning and making the reunion such fun.

Before spreading the news, let me get a bit of class business out of the way. We are off to a strong start with our class gift to Kellogg, but would love to have increased participation. You can contribute to the class gift through August, so please do not think you are too late (or off the hook)! Donations of all sizes will be gratefully accepted. You can contribute easily online or the old-fashioned way: by sending in a check.

Now that that is out of the way ... During reunion planning, I was able to catch up with a number of classmates. Here is some of what I learned: Jonathon Wilson lives with his wife and children in Woodstock, Vt., where he works for a small nanotechnology start-up. Carrie Erzen Stolar lives outside of Minneapolis with her husband and three children. After spending a number of years in consumer product marketing with Pillsbury, Carrie is now happily managing a busy household. After a number of years in Los Angeles, Andrew Simon has returned to the world of advertising. He and his wife live in Toronto. Andrew has had some great work-related travel recently --- a commercial shoot in Australia and a trip to the south of France for the Cannes Advertising Festival. I know business travel is business travel, but this sounds pretty good!

Catherine Briggs is also relocating to Toronto from California. Catherine, her husband Gary '89, and their twin boys are relocating with eBay. Chris Esmonde lives in Cambridge, Mass., and is working as an independent consultant. Caroline Okicki-Bissell lives in Easton, Pa., with her husband and two children. Julio Torres and his wife Ingrid welcomed their first child, daughter Olivia, the weekend of reunion. They are relocating from Miami to Boston this summer, where Julio will attend a mid-career public administration master's program at Harvard. We look forward to catching up with them when they arrive in town. Scott Yates and his wife Elizabeth left Chicago for a return to their southern roots. Scott realized his dream of buying a company and is happily living and working outside of Atlanta.

Imagine another Doug Gillespie in our midst! Douglas Gillespie Jr. joined big sister Alexandra and parents Doug and Serena in March. The Gillespies live in San Francisco. Keith Evans and his wife Lori welcomed a new addition to their family, Cooper Lockridge Evans, on Oct. 17. Cooper joins 3-year-old twin siblings Spencer and Grace at home in Glenview, Ill. Keith works at Standard Parking. He is the senior vice president for strategy, technology and information. Lori continues to work as a sales rep for AstraZeneca. Doug and Sue Warshauer welcomed their fourth child, son Brendan, last spring. He joins older siblings Connor, Fallon and Meghan at home in Northfield, Ill. Sue is working at home and Doug is working with Art Kessler, buying and investing in companies with Kessler Warshauer Ventures. Their first business is a company that sells paper guest checks to restaurants.

Scott Peterson is back in Minneapolis and is working for Revlon, specifically with its business at Target. Susie Silver continues to work at Kraft and save up her vacation time for outstanding trips around the world. In March, she was mentioned in The Wall Street Journal. In her words, "not for my stunning business acumen, but because of a bottle of wine." Susie was mentioned in the "Open that Bottle Night" column, where she described opening a bottle of wine that she had been moving around for 13 years. She was in Snowmass with some Kellogg friends when the time finally seemed right!

Paul M. Claybaker was elected to the board of directors of Wunder's Association, the organization responsible for managing Chicago's oldest cemetery. Paul reports that Wunder's historical records both predate and survived the great Chicago fire, and are often the only source for Chicago and Lutheran history.

OK. It is now 4:30 p.m. on the day this column is due, so I've got to cut, paste and run. Please consider submitting both a class gift donation and some news to share with the class! Both can be submitted directly to me, though it would be better to send money directly to Kellogg. Have a great summer.

Update: Just after I sent in our Class Notes, I received the following update from Dave Gantt. Dave asked me to share this news with our class: He and his wife Erica experienced a family tragedy at the end of April. They lost their second child, Elizabeth Yaeger Gantt, when she was born prematurely at 28 weeks with a rare medical condition known as Non-Immune Hydrops Fetalis. Elizabeth passed away peacefully in Dave's arms the same night. Dave, Erica and big sister Catherine miss her dearly and have decided to honor Elizabeth's memory by supporting the NICU at their local hospital. They have established the Elizabeth Yaeger Gantt Memorial Fund to benefit the NICU at Richardson Regional Medical Center. Many friends have asked how they can help to support Dave at this time. If you would like to help, please consider making a donation by check to the RRMC Foundation, 401 West Campbell Road, Richardson, TX 75080. Please include your name and indicate the donation is for the Elizabeth Yaeger Gantt Memorial Fund. You can also call the RRMC Foundation (972.498.7678) if you would like to use a credit card.

Dave is working in marketing for Samsung Telecommunications America in Richardson, Texas, and Erica is the publisher of a local magazine, Richardson Living. The Gantts are doing as well as can be expected right now, and appreciate the support they have received from Kellogg friends. On behalf of our class, I offer Dave and Erica our sympathy and thanks for sharing their very personal news.