1986

Reunion was a success. The fun started at TG and continued on to the closing brunch. Many great stories were told, but unfortunately since most events included an open bar, those stories will never be repeated. I joined the party at Kent Swanson’s beautiful home. The food and company were great. The official closing time was 10 p.m., but I think a few of us left closer to 1 a.m. Conversations ranged from where to go on vacation, new jobs, retirement, great works of literature, children, grandchildren and a discussion about who traveled the furthest. I think I even met my 23rd cousin (22 times removed — Hi Carol).

Among our distinguished classmates in attendance were William Kotas. In his words: “I was named the Kellogg Alumni Volunteer of the Year. While many of our classmates have pocketed millions, I have developed a talent for working hard for free! Actually, as I love wearing purple, it is a labor of love to interview for admissions, recruit for the Executive MBA Program in Miami and run the Kellogg Alumni Club of Brazil. I travel extensively and always make a point to get together with Kellogg and other Northwestern alums wherever I go. Unfortunately, I rarely see any 86ers, as few of our classmates live in airline-hub cities or foreign capitals. Connecting with alumni when I travel and helping Kellogg build a global network is my passion.” Willy is also very happy that the Miami Heat lost in the NBA finals.

I emailed Gordon Kane for an update and he replied that he was out of the country and would have limited access to e-mail. I am guessing he was traveling to make the world appreciate soccer (football). It will never happen. They need cheerleaders. Cindi Bigelow attended all of the events and says, “I could not have enjoyed our 25th reunion more. I got to spend quality time with such wonderful friends. Starting at Kent’s home on Friday night all the way through Sunday morning, the laughs, the stories and the camaraderie were a total reminder of why I loved my years at Kellogg. So for all who came — it was super catching up. And for all that could not, I hope you will consider coming in five more years. I know you will love it. How could you not?!”

Heinz Felder also had a great time at the reunion (and I think came in third in traveling the furthest). He had a wonderful article written about turning around Stora Enso (besides closing paper mills in Wisconsin). Heinz developed a strategy to reinvent the way Stora Enso purchases materials, communicates and outsources some staff functions. The article was in Efficient Purchasing magazine (issue number 12, 2011). If your subscription has lapsed, feel free to contact either one of us for a copy. They thought so highly of Heinz that they included a picture of him walking on water.

Ron Leaf and his wife Mary had a great time at the dinner on Saturday night. Ron was one of the few people who did not miss me at dinner, because he knew that I was having an anniversary dinner with my wife that night. They also had a great time seeing everyone. Ginger Campbell contributed that she has “been on Kellogg overdrive this year. In addition to being on the Reunion committee, I’ve been serving on the board of the Kellogg Alumni Club of L.A. for the past three years. I produced our second annual career and networking symposium with Keith Ferrazzi at the end of June. In between all that, I’ve been picking up more marketing and public relations clients while raising my 15-it-feels-like-she’s-going-on-21-year-old daughter, Myko Lyric. I talked to Nikki Pope, as her absence was flagrantly apparent during Reunion. She is still fighting the good fight for justice, while teaching a new generation of lawyers. I had a blast at Reunion — it was so nice to catch up with everyone. More importantly, though, I was so happy to be included in the Reunion photos that Kellogg sent out as an eblast — that never happens. Hopefully, I can see more classmates before 2016!”

I (Todd) finished teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May and I am enjoying a few weeks off before summer school starts. I normally play a lot of bad golf this time of year, but something has changed. I played in the greater Milwaukee Japanese Open and won one of the longest drive contests. Watching golf on TV during the 10 months of winter must have paid off. Over Father’s Day weekend, I had the opportunity to see John Baumann ’85 and play some golf with him at the annual Boosters Days golf outing. Later this summer, I’ll spend a long weekend in Door County (Sister Bay) and go to Spring Green for more golf and theater. I had a great time at Reunion catching up with as many people as I could talk to.

I really enjoyed hearing Charlie Baker tell a group of us what it was like to run for governor. We learned that you don’t really get to eat a lot of rubber chicken. You are so busy shaking hands, posing for pictures and asking for money, that you barely get to eat. Charlie estimates he lost between 10 and 15 pounds. I need to run for governor three or four times a year for four or five years. During Dean Sally Blount’s address, she updated us on the fundraising for the new building. I was hoping it would be ready for our 2016 Reunion, but right now it looks like it won’t be ready until 2017. And while Kellogg is still the best business school in the world (and the most fun) we also donate less then all the other top programs. So after you put aside some funds for the kid’s college, weddings and your retirement, please think about kicking some cash to good old Kellogg. If we want it to stay No. 1, we need to pony up more money.

In a computer transfer, I lost many of your email addresses, so please send me an update and I can start rebuilding my database. Also, anybody travelling through Milwaukee is invited to be a guest speaker at UWM.