Tim Demkin '77, daughters Taylor and Caitlin, and wife Suzie
	Cyndy de Nuño '77 with daughters Jennifer and Rita in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
	Rad Hastings '77 and family. From left, daughters Ellie, Viv and Colby; wife Kathy; and friends Giorgio and Mariella. Rad is standing in back.

Hello from Manhattan Beach, Calif. Rad Hastings somehow hoodwinked me into filling the vacant spot for class rep when we attended our 30th reunion in early May. Only 12 classmates attended, but we were a fun lot. Some traveled from as near as Chicago, and some from as far as Japan. I was struck then — as I am by many of these notes — by how much richer we are, not only because of our experiences, but also because of the balance many of us have seemed to find. I look forward to learning more about the lives and paths of my classmates.

My own course has taken many turns since graduation, including brand management at Quaker to vice president, marketing and sales, of the waterbed division of Sealy Mattress (yes, it was VERY California), to vice president, strategic planning, for a casino (a division of Harrah's), to consulting in strategy and marketing. Along the way, I adopted two adolescent orphans: one from Russia nine years ago and another from Colombia two years ago.

Stephanie Nakasian writes, "Having left futures in consulting and banking in the '80s, I have had a wonderful, wild ride as a jazz singer and teacher — recording and touring all over the world. I would love to see many of you. I hope all is well and everyone is happy and swinging! I am teaching at the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary. Come to Charlottesville and visit sometime. My husband is a world-renowned jazz pianist and our daughter records and tours as well. We're at Lincoln Center on Aug. 6."

Rad Hastings writes: "Change, positive, suffuses our lives. After 10 years in food service, I am transitioning to asset management. My wife, Kathy, has started a new job in Villanova University's law department. Colby is a freshman in Northwestern's engineering program, while Ellie, a high-school junior, looks at colleges and does track and cross country. Vivien masters seventh grade and freestyle swimming. Lucky to be here and wishing all good health and positive changes."

Fran Edmondson says she still lives in Evanston, "one block south from where I was when we were in school (some of us don't get around much). I left corporate America in the late '90s, with no plans to return. My new life is as a full-time artist. I paint mainly abstract shapes in oil and sometimes watercolor. It was fun to see everyone at the reunion. Hopefully, more of us will show up for the next one."

Scott Taylor writes with this update. "I have four loves in my life. First is my relationship with Anne Hunter, my wife of four years (as of May 25). It is truly a blessing to have someone to share life's journey. Second is my job working for the state of Minnesota as a mentor to small-business owners. We have terrific success in helping them grow and become more profitable. I love helping people achieve their goals. Third is my research into near-death experiences. I had a near-death experience in the early '80s and I used that as an impetus for my doctoral research at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.). Last is my love for the sport of curling. I have my eye on the next Olympics!"

Dave Hamel writes to say that he recently graduated from the Frank Erhard Seminar Training program. "As you may know, Frank is the son of Werner Erhard of EST fame. Frank Erhard's program is updated for the times and is appropriately more about how to use Power Point than getting in touch with yourself. In addition, I've recently turned to begging for new business on street corners — cup in hand. I've gotten some spare change, but no new accounts this way. With all these fancy business e-mail addresses, surely there's a classmate who needs a new thought here or there."

Barbara (Bellaire) Christian is living in the Bay Area, not far from where she went to college. "My oldest daughter is a junior and my youngest daughter will be a freshman in college this fall. After Northwestern, I went to General Mills for a few years and then returned to the West Coast, first with Foote, Cone, Belding advertising and then for more than 20 years with HP and Agilent. Now I'm about to start a new job with a 10-minute commute after a crazy year at Intel. I have never lost contact with Cyndy de Nuño, and at some point we hope to make a go of the product that we created for Phil Kotler's new product class.

Shigeru Tanaka writes: "Since 1977, I have been a faculty member at the Graduate School of Business Administration at Keio University. I have also worked hard to help create the long-term nursing care social insurance system in Japan. Now the system covers all people over 65 years old in our land. No one has to worry about depleting their funds. While the financing side is handled by local governments, service provision is done by private entities, both for-profit and not-for-profit. We promote competition among providers. Thus an elderly Japanese citizen who needs care could choose the best provider in his/her region, and 90 percent of the cost is paid by social insurance.

"The most important person for me, Kikuko, my wife, just recovered from six months of cancer treatment. She is OK now. Our eldest daughter, Isako, works for one of the largest private railway companies in Tokyo, and she got married in February. Our second daughter, Sayako, works for a real estate corporation located in Tokyo. Our third daughter, Nohoko, is a second-year student at Keio University, from which both her parents graduated."

Ric Weldon writes to say that after many years of being single, he married his girlfriend. "I finally got serious, and it's all been smooth sailing from there. Kendra is from our hometown of Hopkinton, Mass., and recently she followed her dream of self-employment as an interior designer. Having spent years running designer showrooms and as a designer-employee for the Warren Buffet company and Jordan's Furniture, she's off to the races.

"I left the banking world in '93, when all banks in New England became Fleet (and now Bank of America) and started down my road to self-employment as an investment manager. Business flowered, and we now operate as Polaris Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser with 78 clients. It's a wonderful business, filled with great personal relationships.

"Our two children are Kyle (5) and Kristina (7), their young age being my cross to bear for waiting so long to have them. They do all the softball, soccer and birthday parties they can, and we spend our weekends as chauffeurs. Life is good and we have no complaints."

Tim Demkin writes that all is well in New York City. "I see classmate Bob Raphael about two times a year. He is my younger daughter Taylor's (16) godfather. Older daughter Caitlin (18) is matriculating to Amherst College in September and will be playing squash for the Lord Jeffs. Me, I've owned my printing business, Demkin Printing, for 20 years. I am just waiting for my lottery numbers to hit. Best to you all."

Paul Sortal is a vice president in investments at Oppenheimer & Company Inc. in Chicago. "Since graduation, I have been in the securities investment business, about which I will make three observations: No. 1: The world of investing remains extraordinarily interesting — part art, part science, part luck, part timing; rife with opportunity and ever-dynamic. No. 2: After becoming established, the freedom of being your own boss — having a great deal of flexibility regarding your time (for family, avocation, good works and vacation), and choosing your own clientele, business strategies and methodology — is very meaningful. These benefits offset some of the negatives, which include a lot of repetitive activity, increasingly burdensome regulatory oversight and market unpredictability. No. 3: Inertia is a powerful force.

"My son Scott (25) graduated from the University of Vermont in 2005 and works as an options trading clerk and high school hockey coach. My son Brett (22) is expected to graduate from the University of Illinois 2008.

"I exercise and play Chicago-style 16-inch softball and racquetball for fun, and I intend to partake in my second bike ride across Iowa this summer."

For Al Meyer, times flies. "I have spent most of my career in healthcare-product companies, large and small, with a fair amount of time spent on 'bleeding edge' concepts. Most have not paid off, but one worked well enough to fuel continuing pursuits. The latest is a drug to improve night vision. Along the way, I got married to Patti (still happily married at year 29) and have two boys, Patrick and Billy, and a girl, Katie. Along the way I stumbled on my avocation at the ripe age of 30: community theater. I do musicals (I am not kidding). In the beginning, I was on stage (yes, I can sing a little, dance a little and act a little — emphasis on little), but mostly I now produce shows and build sets. And so life unfolds, in ways unexpected."