EMP-30

At the elegant Union League Club, our EMP-30 class kicked off its 15th Reunion in high style, thanks to Mary Beth Berkes, who rallied the troops and handled all the arrangements. In attendance were Mary Beth and husband Jim; Nick Bellavia and wife Rhonda; Greg Cleven and wife Julianne; Sheryl Cox and husband Tim Bode; Jim Cowhey and wife Lisa; Jeff Hoye and wife Carrie; Doug Mabie, Rich Meeusen and wife Maribeth; Vanessa Moss, Linda Peel, Rohit Vishnoi and Ann; Mike Willis and wife Barb; and your West Coast correspondent, Teresa Gordon. The Friday reception was splashed with champagne and hors d’ouervres, but the most popular goodies were the chocolate cookies and candies that flashed us back to the good ol’ Allen Center days.

In no time, everyone was sharing photos of kids barely born at the time of graduation, now teetering on the verge of driver’s licenses. Some updates gleaned (with more news next time): Sheryl Cox is controller for the national specialty retailer Paper Source and has two teenagers, whom she reminded were “in the womb” during her Kellogg tenure. Doug Mabie is now 20 years with William Blair, and lives in Winnetka, Ill., with wife Annie and three kids. Rohit Vishnoi, married to Ann with two kids, continues his work on innovation in medical devices and is working on frugal innovation — how to reach the underserved. He also volunteers with the American India Foundation. Jeff Hoye heads up C & J Cladding, a company he and a business partner purchased three and a half years ago, which services wellhead equipment manufacturers and has a global reach. It was interesting to get his take on the Gulf oil crisis. Teresa Gordon continues her writing and fashion design business, and serves as a docent with the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, Calif.