1984

Since I wrote my last column, my family and I moved from Riverwoods to Deerfield, four miles closer to Evanston. After 11 years in one house, we sure had a lot of junk. I'm still wondering if I should have gotten a job across the country just for the relocation package.

In reading the business press, I've seen some glowing articles written about Dolores "Tot" Kunda. (Apparently she uses Dolores in business, but I didn't know if anyone would know who I was writing about.) In the March 2 business section of the Chicago Tribune there was an article about her, which outlined her career path. The author wrote about how Tot went from an English major at Smith College to serve as both president/chief executive of Leo Burnett's Lapiz Integrated Hispanic Marketing in Chicago and chief executive of Leo Burnett Puerto Rico in San Juan. Kellogg, of course, was highlighted in the article. Last year Tot was named Chicago Advertising Federation's 2007 Ad Woman of the Year. In the flyer for the lunch in her honor, they wrote, "Dolores has changed the advertising landscape by bringing the Hispanic market to the forefront." Congratulations, Tot, you make us all proud.

And from classmates holding two full time jobs to those taking well-earned sabbaticals, I recently got this note from Luc Clarys: "After graduation, I joined my family's business, Clama which produces mattress fabrics, and bought out my uncle and my father in the late-1980s. I put the company on a growth path, exported all over the world, eventually opened up sales and production facilities in four continents and opened up the capital to private equity groups. In 2004, I merged the company with a competitor of about the same size and it became DesleeClama. However, after more than three years, I missed the entrepreneurial spirit and did not any longer enjoy the bigger corporate structure that the company had become. Discussions on the further strategic direction also started emerging, so I quit and sold my shares in the DesleeClama group.

"I search for interesting new projects while enjoying some sabbatical time. My kids are 20, 17 and 15 years old now and behave well so far (better than their father at that age; remember the crazy Belgian). My eldest daughter is studying business administration, and maybe she will be a future Kellogg student. Hope to see more news on all of you in future Kellogg World issues."

Stan Cook is also taking a well-earned sabbatical. He reports that in April he left Helene Curtis/Unilever after nearly 24 years. Stan is enjoying a welcomed "first retirement." He's busy spending time with his family, planning some great summer travel and tending to many of those things that don't quite get done while you're working. Any thoughts of future career plans will be delayed until the fall (at a minimum). His wife, Wendy Webb-Cook, continues to enjoy her role as VP of menu management at McDonald's. Thanks for the salads, Wendy.

I know that Wendy Weiss Kritt is still at Kraft since graduation but I'm interested to know if anyone else from our class is still at their first company.

Curt Bergstrom sent me his first update in 24 years. "After Kellogg I joined Intel in Santa Clara where I stayed for 14 years. In 1997 I retired as European marketing manager to focus on private investments and take care of my family. I also picked up helicopter flying as a hobby. In 2006 after my daughters had left home, I moved to China to study Chinese. Two years later I'm running a consulting company focusing on teaching chief executives to speak Mandarin. Lots of fun!"

Kai Hammerich is also seeking out new challenges. He sends us this update: "Here things are going well. Alexia (6) plays her daddy like a concert piano. My wife, Bettina, just got back from South Africa, where she held a workshop for Desmond Tutu to crystallize the strategy for his Peace Centre in Cape Town. Bettina has worked with the archbishop for the past four years and we have met him on several occasions. He is as inspirational and generous as you would imagine and has the ability to light up a room with his presence and smile. We still see John Youngblood on a regular basis. John is Alexia's godfather and she calls him Long John.

"Professionally, I am still at Russell Reynolds Associates. Our new British CEO decided I needed a challenge so on top of running our very successful global technology sector, I am also the chairman of our IT committee and run our global key clients program across all industries. Still having fun being a headhunter, though we have changed the terminology to management or leadership consultants. One of my job's advantages is the ability to stay in touch and be paid for networking. I recently spoke to Carla Grillo and Philippe Laratte. Feel free to e-mail me at Khammerich@russellreynolds.com or pop by our office in St. James's Square in central London."

I received the following update from Karl Mills, whose family is looking very Californian. "The family is doing well. Boys (10, 8 and 3) have all figured out how to manipulate their parents for personal gain. We have threatened military school but they don't seem to believe us. Still, my wife and I are happy to be roadies in their concert tour. They're a lot of fun. I started a new investment firm and am weathering the stormy markets with alacrity. Am also keeping a balance by drawing cartoons and playing the piano."

David Lynn had dinner with Indie Desai Christie, Dwight Hilson, Steve Zales and their spouses. He wrote us this update on some of our East Coast classmates: "Dwight has retired since selling his company and is now a writer. He recently had his first fiction piece accepted at a literary magazine. Indie has launched an entrepreneurial venture producing a cool line of fleece-lined sandals called Ripas. Rumor has it that they are walking all over the competition. David's management consulting business continues to grow and prosper, serving mutual fund boards and other financial services. The biggest challenge is using employees as far away as Nevada. Steve has rejoined Time Warner as SVP/GM of Southern Progress Digital, which is the home, food and lifestyle division of Time Warner. When I asked Steve why he looks even younger than he did in 1984 (when he looked 12) he told me his secret. 'Actually, David, Dwight and I take turns looking young. My year is 2008.' I think Dwight gets our Reunion year, because he had the biggest temper tantrum. I can't remember what the rest of the schedule is. We are also trading off athletic accomplishments. This is either Dwight's year to make it to the PGA Tour or David's year to beat Pete Sampras in the Master's portion of the Pilot Pen Tournament."

I had such a great time exchanging e-mails with classmates the last few months. Thank you to all who wrote. To everyone else, please remember to send me a note to let me know what you're up to. E-mail has made this job so much easier for you and for me.