An EMP-51 "family" reunion: Coleman with his new wife Alexis, David Waterhouse and Love Boy celebrating Brooks Brothers' new spring line

EMP-51

Greetings Alumni.

Congratulations on continuing to provide me with enough information for a good-quality read wherever you may enjoy Kellogg World.

This time the B.S. was easy, but nobody offered a guess. No, I'm not going to be entering Rob Moll in our driver-development program! I am, however, going to consider him for a gas can catch-man job on one of the "over-the-wall" teams. As for this edition of EMP-51 Class Notes, good luck sorting out the fact from the fiction.

	Ellen and Jeff "been there, done that; if you fall off it's your own fault, kid" Hederick of EMP-51
	Proud papa Shaun Kondamuri EMP-51 with the latest addition to the family
	Marc Zimmerman EMP-51, Bill Wynne EMP-51 and Maury Magids EMP-45 enjoy the early morning quiet of the track.

News Roundup: The "McDonough Exploits" continue. Coleman McDonough leads the way with an autobiographical update from the road, where we find him now on temporary assignment in Africa. (Yes, folks, this is a real look into the mind of McDonough — an editor's nightmare.)

"The journey has begun. We (Alexis, my new wife, and I) started our trip in Los Angeles, then off to London to chat with Sullins, maybe share a beverage or two. We had an uneventful time in London. Hmm, well we did almost get — was it kicked out or asked to leave? — by a respectable English establishment. I think it may have been our behavior. (Was it Steve or me? Alexis was with us, however she had stepped into the parlor.) Š Yes, the Savoy bar will never be the same!

"I have arrived in Africa. Transportation to our accommodations included one large bus and eight machine-gun-armed escorts. (Who didn't appreciate the fact we wanted a picture). It was an uneventful trip through Lagos, but dark outside. Oh, wait! Did I mention that upon arriving to the Lagos International Airport no one was there to greet us, a communications breakdown? They thought we were arriving a day later! After three hours of what we'll call 'facilitation,' we were on our way. Accommodations are better than I expected. We have a roof, bathroom, running water and food. Actually, it is not that bad. From the outside all you see is a 10-foot-high wall with barbed wire around the top and an armed, guarded entrance. From the inside you see the same thing.

"I'm trying to figure out if the guards are protecting us from Nigerians or the Nigerians are being protected from us. (I'd have to guess the latter.) No interesting pictures from Nigeria yet. Will keep in touch."

Oh, Coleman, you just make me giggle!

Marc Zimmermann has taken up the mantle of Reunion Chairperson for the latest attempt at an EMP-51 get together. He writes: "I have tentatively reserved 15 rooms at Barton Creek Resort & Spa for the weekend of Thursday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Aug. 28. I have 10 rooms reserved for a check-in on Thursday night with a check-out on Sunday. I have five rooms with a check-in on Friday and check-out on Sunday. I was able to get an excellent rate of $140/night since August is off-peak season and I get a member discount.

"While it will be hot in Texas during August, the weather will not be unbearable. Your Austin Host Committee (Krupp and Zimmermann) is planning the following fun events sure to enthuse patrons of all ages: Update session on life after Kellogg * Golfing at one of Barton Creek's four championship golf courses * Poolside drinks * Seaweed wraps, mud baths and other 'pampering' treatments * Possible water sports on one of Austin's two fabulous lakes * Excellent food and evening entertainment at the 'Live Music Capital of the World.'

"Barton Creek is kid-friendly, with babysitting services for guests of the hotel. See bartoncreek.com. I hope this weekend works for you. There are rumors that Dr. Messick will be in attendance."

Sounds great, Marc! On behalf of all of us, thanks for the effort! Hope to see you there! Has Coleman RSVP'd?

Dr. Shaun Kondamuri came through with good news and a photo! He writes: "Greetings to all my friends! Sorry about being so quiet since graduation. As many of you may recall, Padma and I have been going back and forth about trying for that daughter. Well, two months ago, 10 1/2 years after the birth of our second son, Nathan, we had our third child. Baby and mom are doing great. Only dad never did get his baby girl. Yes, it's 'my three sons!' And Padma has seen to it that there will be no further attempts. Now that we are quite a bit older, little Nik is a lot harder to wake up for at night!

"The practice has been going great; we continue to do our best to stamp out chronic pain. Aside from medicine and the family, we have been active with the Northern Indiana Arts Association. I am chairing the summer art exhibit: 'Double Happiness: Asian American Wedding Stories,' an exhibit of photographs, artifacts, wedding altars, etc.

"I have been spending a lot of time using the skills and knowledge learned during those two great years at Kellogg, while creating a new real estate development company. Very exhilarating, to say the least! Our first project is turning out to be a success and No. 2 and 3 are in the works. More exciting than medicine? Well, a very close second.

"It was great to catch up with Mike Frank, Scott Funston and Rick Resetar for golf and related hi-jinks last winter in Orlando. If any EMP-51ers are around the Chicagoland or northwest Indiana regions, I would love to get together to show off the baby pics!"

Thanks, Shaun! Even those who can't visit downtown Gary, Ind., can enjoy the one you sent us. Keep us posted!

Chris Keil came up for a breath of air with this quick note: "I am in the process of moving back west, where the sun shines and the clouds go away for more than a day. I have recently seen fellow EMP-51ers, including Davin Lee, ShiQing Wang Š and you guessed it ... Coleman McDonough himself. It was also great to see ShiQing, Larry Murphy, Bernie Birt and Julie Cisek-Jones in Shanghai a couple of months back while they were toting EMP-whatever number around Asia. Boy, do Julie and Bernie look great at 6 a.m. in the Shanghai airport!"

Fair to say they'd place higher in a beauty contest than you, sweetheart! Thanks for the update. Need more scoop from you so keep it coming.

Joseph Kruzich continues his charade as an employee of the Department of State, while we all know he's really a spy. Or did he just stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night? Or does he play one on TV? So many questions. He answers none in the following update and enjoys referring to himself in the third person: "Joseph Kruzich rejoined the Department of State shortly after graduating. In 2003 he worked on Afghan issues and had the opportunity to work at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, managing public outreach efforts. For the past two years, he has been studying Chinese and is currently living in Beijing.

"Later this summer he will start a three-year assignment at the American Consulate General in Shenyang, managing U.S. public affairs in northeast China. In 2005 he was the recipient of the Department's prestigious 'Secretary's Award for Public Outreach,' recognizing his contribution to the administration's public outreach efforts in the United States and China on such vital foreign policy issues as Iraq and Afghanistan."

Joseph? Have you ever watched "Alias"? Next time give us some stats on your accuracy in various forms of weaponry, high-altitude parachuting and sea-based invasion qualifications.

Kruzich. Joseph Kruzich.

Jeff Hederick sends us a quick note: "Newest addition was born on April 19. Goes by the name of Ellen."

So much for the quick note! That makes him the only male in a house of many. Lucky them.

Anthony Marino catches up with a note from the road: "The Marino's are on the move in mid-June to a new abode in Manhattan Beach, Calif. The job as vice president of operations, accountable for all customer contacts after the sale, is going very well. It's an exciting role with a lot of great opportunity."

Glad to hear all is well and you can all be living in one city! Is Manhattan Beach the one with all the weightlifters?

Helen Chionis chimes in: "I actually have some news to report, other than my annual call for support for the Susan Komen Foundation. I finally got tired of corporate life and took a position as CFO at a startup, Divine Products, which produces washable leather products. DuPont Teflon Advanced Washable Leather is created through an advanced patent-protected technology originated by Sheen Industries LLC and purchased by DuPont. That's a mouthful! This tanning process produces leather that is naturally waterproof, stain resistant, oil resistant, colorfast, fully machine-washable and machine-dryable, without losing any of the supple feel and breathability of this high-grade leather. Right now, we are producing dog beds, barbecue mitts and aprons and leather duvet covers. If you are ever in SoCal, please feel free to call and stop by for some wine and Jacuzzi time."

Wow Š now that's some news! Keep us posted on the progress!

Bernado Sada is not to be outdone with the baby makin': "My wife Vanina and I are happy to announce the birth of our son Bernardo Jr. He is the latest addition to our family, which includes Vanina and Eugenia, ages 4 and 3, respectively. The baby sleeps quite happily and must assume someone else will pay the bills!"

At least he won't cost you a wedding!

Chris Jurasek keeps us up to date: "My family and I have had quite busy lives recently. My older two girls are overworked at school and overscheduled outside of school. Allie is playing flute, oboe and piano. Courtney is taking flute and piano. They are both in volleyball. We are all going to Croatia from June 2 – July 10. I will only be there the first and last weeks. The girls will stay the full five weeks.

"My job has been somewhat more challenging than usual. In January our CEO decided to give me more work. (Some call it a promotion.) I am now responsible for global customer service and logistics, in addition to my IT responsibilities (a title so long I now have to use both sides of my business cards). Since you all know me, I am sure that you immediately saw the fit between customer service and me. Well, it was a big shock to me but is actually very satisfying. To add to my challenge, Rexnord acquired Falk Corp. for about $300 million on May 16 after nearly nine months of pre-close work.

"My passion for beach volleyball, which has dominated the better part of the last 14 years of my life, is starting to take its toll on me, as four of my fingers could now benefit from some surgery. John Cherf, do you do fingers? If so, do you have a multifinger discount? Since being benched due to bone, ligament and/or tendon damage, I have rekindled an old passion for sailing. Last weekend, I bought a racing catamaran. It actually flies! I keep it at the Racine Yacht Club. If anyone is in the area and in need of an adrenaline boost, just drop me an email. Don't forget to bring a doctor's note.

"I hear Zim is trying to put something together for later this summer. I hope we can pull this off Š it would be very nice to get a group of us together again. I hope everyone is well.

P.S. Bill, I noticed in the last issue it was suggested that I might want to take some make-up classes at the Miami campus. I was wondering why it came to your mind that I need make-up classes? Even if I were inclined to try, I would think the probability of actually making class in Miami would be something approaching zero! Oh, and congratulations on the NASCAR gig. Is that really considered work?"

Well Chris Š it's tough duty. As you'll see below, you run into the strangest people.

Bruce Smith's wife Jan reached out to stay in the loop with EMP-51 goings-on. You can reach her at justaddcoffee@mn.rr.com. Jan, we hope all is well!

Shi Qing Wang came through with some well-organized thoughts: "1.) Here is the link to recent great news on the promotion of our EMP-51 friend Larry Murphy: investorguide.com/cgi-bin/browse1.cgi?tick=SMTL&. 2.) On March 15, Larry Murphy, Chris Keil, David He and I met up at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Shangai with Bernie and several Kellogg EMP students who were on a GIM trip. Unfortunately, we missed Julie, since she had already retreated to her night of sweet dreams when we got to the hotel. It was a pity that Davin Lee could not join us, since he had traveled to that part of the world several times recently as GM for the power-management product division at Intersil.

"His head covered with a Chinese Red Army hat and his slim figure wearing a retailored Chinese Red Army uniform meticulously ironed with shiny Mao watches on both of his wrists, our beloved Desi has recently reinvaded the Greater China region. Desi is now a CEO-type figure with P/L responsibility (scary) at a spin-off of Sprint supplying parts for Sprint communication systems. He was in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan recently to visit his outsourcing partners. I am sure Desi hopes that Chinese-made Sprint parts will have at least the same innovation and quality as the Mao watches that Desi wears."

SQ, thanks for the update! I know to whom I am going to bequeath this task upon my passing.

It only seems fair. We've heard a lot about Davin Lee, but now we get to hear from him: "Rumor has it that Marino is hanging out with the locals in Venice Beach and is fitting right in. As a matter of fact, he is becoming a permanent fixture at some of the local bars. Keep an eye out for him if you cruise through the beach.

"I saw Sullins in London and checked out his pad. As expected, he passed out after some heavy drinking and what a mistake that was. Rumor has it that his face was used as a clean slate for several artists to show off their art. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken (at least that we could find). That's about all the gossip I have this time around."

Davin, that's short, but sweet! Love Boy, I have a power washer if you want me to send it your way?!

Larry Murphy sent in his account (fun to triangulate this stuff, ain't it?): "I had a chance to meet Chris Keil and Shi Qing Wang in China last quarter, where we had a drink with Bernie and met a lot of the current Kellogg students. Also had a nice visit in Texas with Zimm and Krupp in April. Zimm can still dance with the best of them and Andy is enjoying his young family. Last, but not least, I got a small promotion (to president and COO of Semitool Inc.)."

Nice work, Larry! Sorry no pictures, folks.

Tom van Laar yodeled in with this one: "I was reading the Class Notes (I actually try to keep up with what has happened to everyone), and decided to let you know that I've moved to Switzerland since last November to head up worldwide manufacturing for Novartis. Anyway, it sounds like everyone is doing reasonably well. Even though I was a late joiner to the class, I always enjoyed being with everyone while it lasted."

While it lasted? Tom? Are you ditching us? You're forever EMP-51. Man, are you lucky!

Did you know the Cats debate team rocks? And did you know Coleman is the reason?

Coleman McDonough served as special consultant to the team during its championship run in Spokane. Northwestern fought off third-ranked California, Berkeley, to capture the 59th annual National Debate Tournament championship in Spokane, Wash. The 3-2 win marks the Wildcats' 13th national championship and its seventh in a dozen years, fortifying its position as the nation's winningest debate team.

Dr. Gene McMahon is maxing out the suck-up techniques in this latest note to Dean Jain:

"Hello Dipak, Gene McMahon, MD (EMP-51) here. I enjoyed both the Neptune case and your memorable advice about cannibals being best kept 'in the family.' I look fondly back upon both my Kellogg days and the course you taught to EMP-51. All the best, Gene"

Eugene, I'm just speechless.

Ryan Roberts just missed the deadline last time around, but we've got it goin' on right here: "On to a new adventure: I am general manager of sales and marketing for dj Orthopedics, a NYSE-traded mid-cap specializing in orthopedic rehabilitation (bracing, soft goods, pain management and bone growth stimulation). (Excellent — Sullins is rumored to be in the market soon.)

"I had dinner in D.C. in late February with the esteemed Dr. John Cherf and the always enlightening Dr. Roger Mason. John and I were in town for the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons meeting. John spent the evening railing against the excesses of the modern U.S. healthcare system inflicted by medical-device manufacturers like my employer. Roger tactfully reminded John that he only complains when he isn't profiting from those excesses personally!

"The always engaging and usually hilarious Desi O'Grady and family visited our beautiful panhandle beaches in Destin, Fla., from March 10-15. We spent a day at the beach together, where the overly sunscreened 'little Desi,' Grace and Abby (O'Grady kids) played with Molly (ours) and proved once and for all that kids from the Midwest truly are cold-blooded from January to March. Four sets of chattering teeth and loving it! Desi has started a new position with Sprint (evidently cannot keep a job — his third since Kellogg — he may be even worse than Keil!), where he promptly made a great impression on his new boss by (1) announcing that he was taking two vacations in the first 30 days, and (2) touring his new office and meeting his direct reports while whacked out on painkillers. You'll have to get the 'official' story from Desi, but you have enough dirt to embarrass him. Unfortunately, the O'Grady family vacation ended before St. Patrick's Day, so we did not get to witness the clan showing their true colors.

"Jody, Molly and I are enjoying the Gulf coast in Pensacola, where temps are now back in the 70s, the azaleas are in full bloom and hurricane recovery progresses slowly six months after Ivan visited our front yard. Roof is (finally) repaired, but lots of work remains to be done and every contractor within a three-state radius is booked into 2006."

Thanks for that news and poignant insight into our beloved classmates! We're all looking forward to the next installment.

Whilst traveling on a Midwest-based air carrier (their alleged new slogan is "we're not happy until you're not happy"), I had the opportunity to check in with Bob Muhs in the Twin Cities. He was unable to break free from his bunker between my flights, but reports all is well with him and the family and anyone having a problem on his airline should contact him directly or call Rob Sit for assistance.

Finally, I've taken much grief for the nature of my duties in my new position. I'll have you know it's relentless hours and rough duty. As an example, I had the opportunity to discuss potential sponsorship with Marc Zimmermann and his boss, Maury Magids EMP-45, at the Texas Motor Speedway in April.

My typical day at the track starts at about 6:30 a.m. with meetings like the one I just described. A snappy little trackside commuter-mobile with some nice chromes, a wood steering wheel and no governor (thanks to the engineers at our tech trailer) helps me get from point to point efficiently. As you will see below, efficiency is a requirement.

After Zimm's wake-up/pit tours, I'm off to the airport, where I hop in a B-52 for the flyover. Here, timing is everything. You've got to be in sync with the spotters on the ground, who are listening to the singing of the National Anthem. The rush of your engine noise over the track MUST coincide with the conclusion of the anthem.

As the anthem is concluding, I'm bailing out of the bomber via parachute and drop down on the turf logo at the start/finish line. Quickly, I serve as honorary starter with the obligatory "Gentlemen, start your engines!" then I hop up to the flag stand to drop the green flag.

That's enough for now. I'll take you through the in-race/post-race activities in future issues.

Keep those pictures, cards and letters coming. You're what makes our Class Notes great!

Yours Truly,Bill

P.S. This installment of EMP-51 Class Notes marks the sixth round of "Can You Guess the BS?" To enter, you must reply back to me with some news about you and your guess as to which of the aforementioned stories is NOT TRUE. There will be numerous prizes awarded for correct answers. Multiple guesses are allowed.