1998 — Full-Time

Freshly returned to London from Evanston for our Reunion, I am certainly exhausted but equally buzzed about what a fantastic turnout we had. It was amazing to see us all together again and, yes, how little everyone had changed (give or take a few strands of hair). We all easily slipped back into standing in a muddy tent, holding branded plastic cups of warm beer while trying to shout over deafening music. Ah, just like the old days!

The weekend commenced with the Dean's Council Dinner on Thursday evening and our own Chris Tomseth receiving the Alumni Service award for his efforts with and dedication to the Atlanta Alumni Club and the GIM initiative he manages now that his family is living in Dubai.

Friday evening was the kickoff TG to end all TGs. Cue aforementioned muddy tent, prerequisite rain, beer tapped from cooler chests and a great vibe as we '98ers sought out and located each other amongst the other Reunion classes. Conversations were ever-so-TG-like: five-minute overviews of life over the past 10 years. It was great to see everyone excited for the weekend. Post TG, groups split off to go explore the metropolis that Evanston has become. Good to know, however, that Pete Miller's, Tommy Nevin's and the Deuce are still there, nestled between the Red Door Day Spa and the Belgian Chocolatier Piron. (Were those there when we were there? I mean, come on! We could not even get the folks behind the counter at Burger King to bag our fries and now they have a day spa in Evanston! But I digress.) Many of us met up for dinner at Pete Miller's with countless other dinners taking place around Evanston. Some intrepid souls even made it to the Duece late night and paid for it the next day.

The barbecue on Saturday offered an opportunity to show off children and introduce them around to fellow classmates, while milling between the puppet show and Kellogg celebs David Besanko, Dean Jain and Ed Wilson.

Saturday night was the main event, however, with a superbly organized party downtown at Fulton's on the River, overseen by Stasia Bourke Huiner, Lisa Haas and Keith Quinn. It was a fantastic evening, fuelled by great food, a well-stocked bar and music provided by DJ Charlie Huiner. John Haas and Keith Quinn did a great job MC-ing the event and Keith created an amazing slideshow revealing just how young and irresponsible we looked 10 years ago. (Could Calderwood have been in more pictures? Have any of us gone camping since KOAs? I wonder.) We spent the evening reminiscing about Away From Goodness, Kellogg Rugby games, The First Year/Second Year Hockey match, the 25 Kellogg couples in our class and Marty Stoller. Secret crushes were revealed in the class survey, we decided we live in a Second World economy and there was an overwhelming sense of joy in the fact that regression analysis is indeed a useful business tool. Kids, geography and job info was swapped, in that order, as we all guessed who was least changed — or in Jenny Olsen's case, who actually looked younger than they did at school! The party lasted until 11:30 p.m., when they started cleaning around us, so the hint was taken to head off and explore Chicago after-hours nightlife. Well done to those who saw 4 a.m. on their alarm clocks. Personally I was too excited at the prospect of a lie-in without a small child waking me in the early hours of Sunday (we left our son, Zach, behind in London), so I did not join in the late-night festivities. Did anyone make it to the Weiner Circle?

Sunday morning was spent at the send-off brunch (or with Apple Pancakes and Walker Bros). Unfortunately, many of our classmates could not make it to Chicago due to work and family commitments. Another load actually did organize trips but were hampered by shocking weather at the airports and did not make it (Glenn Shapiro). Those who could not join us, sent in these notes:

Jay Sala wrote to say that the slide show brought back memories of how we really did live to the fullest while at Kellogg. "Saw Rachel Fleishman as well as Harold La here in Hong Kong at a Kellogg cocktail with Dain Jain," he reported. "My wife and I are heading off to Namibia for a safari and to the Wild Coast of South Africa to catch the annual sardine migration (lots of sharks and dolphins!) and hopefully we'll have some good stories and pics to share afterward."

Alex Lee wrote: "It kills me to have missed Reunion. We're settling into a new home, and I just couldn't make it. So, that leads me to my update. After more than six years in Dallas and Arkansas, we're happy to say we're back on the West Coast with the E&J Gallo Winery. Funny thing is that 10 years ago, I had an offer with Gallo, which I turned down, but find myself very happy to be reunited with Stephanie Gallo (fellow Moose from '99), now as a senior marketing manager for the economy and sparkling business. They tell me I'm running the third-largest winery in the U.S., based on the volume of this business, so y'all should be afraid."

Chris Tomseth wrote: "It was great to see everyone. Thanks as always to Melanie for the absolutely amazing job she does with Class Notes, both in terms of quality and quantity. I love how everyone, myself included, said that we all look the same! But the nametag pictures that they had on Saturday night at Fulton's on the River don't lie! As most everyone knows, I am living and working in Dubai in the travel business. Visitors are welcome and encouraged. I am pleased that fellow Section 65er Dale Smith plans to move to the region imminently. I will plan to see him in Dubai frequently as he seeks respite from Saudi Arabia! Cheers everyone!"

Isabelle Gecils sent in this note. "Reunion was so awesome. I spent all weekend talking, and it still wasn't enough to get the scoop on all the interesting lives that our classmates are leading. We kept Reunion going in San Francisco since Victor Hartono was visiting from Indonesia and organized a dinner with Curt Jennewine, Mike Avila and some members of Kellogg classes from years before and after us. Don't know how he does it, I can't even keep tabs on what is happening with fellow '98ers. I also internalized the "call to action" from Dean Jain to get the alumni network stronger, so I am going to organize some events soon (when kids, work, family, health, school, life allow) to get to see Kellogg friends more frequently than every five years!"

Caroline Mendoza Horrigan wrote: "We are living in Potomac, Md., and I am a stay-at-home mom with three daughters, Madeline (7), Emma (6) and Lila (1). I was sorry to miss Reunion but my daughter's birthday was the same weekend. My husband, Keith, works at Friedman, Billings and Ramsey in asset management. Life is superbusy but my biggest update would be that I am my daughters' Brownie leader and lacrosse coach, which I really enjoy. I also consult periodically for our family business. I would love to see any other Kellogg grads in D.C. Go Bucketheads!"

Tony Jeff wrote in with his first update. "I caught up with a lot of folks at Reunion, but there were so many people that I didn't get to talk to everyone. It was good seeing everyone that was there. After working my way across the Midwest, I got back to my home state and 20 minutes from my hometown, when I moved back to Jackson, Miss., in 2002. I work with early stage innovation-based companies to help them commercialize and get them into the marketplace. We also have an angel investor network and manage a small seed fund. It is interesting work, made even more interesting because we get some public funding so we have to give every company at least an hour of our time. You wouldn't believe some of the ideas we hear. Fortunately there are a lot of really good ideas and start-up companies, too. You can see my company at mta.ms. Most of the folks at Reunion had a chance to meet my bride, Sheila. Having grown up in the South, maybe it was inevitable that I waited until I got back to Mississippi to meet my wife. We met through church and were engaged within a year. Sheila and I married last summer in the Catholic Cathedral in Jackson. My brother, Galagher '99, was best man and George Fondren '04 was a groomsman. Our wedding Web site will be up for a couple of more months at tonyandsheila.com for those of you really starving for details. Sheila is a family medicine physician, but we've recently moved to a new suburb of Jackson and she hasn't set up her practice there yet, so we're using this time to do some travelling. Hopefully we'll be able to catch up even more as we hit cities where there are more Kellogg folks."

David Long wrote to share this good news. "My wife, Liz, a professor at Johns Hopkins, and I are pleased to announce the birth of our first child, Benjamin, on Feb. 27. After years launching new businesses for corporate america, I founded Trapped Bee Productions to pursue my love of narrative and documentary filmaking. Please contact me if you are interested in collaborating (music, writing, etc.) at dblong@trappedbee.com."

Well, that's it for now, kids. See you all in five years, but hopefully much sooner!