1988

Hello again. For those of you keeping score, I missed the deadline last time, so no notes for ’88. A very hard deadline to make sure the awesome Kellogg World could be published a bit earlier than usual. Plus, I think I was en route to Beijing from Seoul when I realized I had pushed my luck a bit too far this time. As many of you know, on May 7, Dipak Jain, formerly associate dean of academic affairs, was named Kellogg’s new dean. Let there be no mistake, an intensive search inside and outside the school was made, and we have made an outstanding choice. I will always remember walking into the first day of my marketing research class to find that Professor Jain had already linked the names of 97 percent of the 75-student class with their faces. I’m proud that someone that dedicated to people is our dean. You may e-mail Dean Jain your well wishes and thoughts at d-jain@kellogg.nwu.edu.

Now, on with the ’88 show.

Robin Grant Coykendall sent a note with some great family news. On Jan. 18, she and husband Kent welcomed Ian Benjamin (6 pounds, 11 ounces) and Joseph Robert (7 pounds, 12 ounces). They join sister Kelley, 5, and brother Van, 3. They still live in the San Diego area. Robin is raising four children, staying active in church and serving on the school board. I think there are a couple full-time jobs there.

Missy Lavender and husband Kim welcomed Fallon Jane on April 16, who joins 27-month-old Wiley. Missy is now back in Chicago, and she and Kim are contemplating a business endeavor. Missy saw Tracy Rhawn in March. Tracy’s in Louisville, Ky. (her hometown!), is married to John Varga, and has an 8-month-old boy, Jack. Missy is in touch with Lisa Edmondson Tanous. Lisa, husband Adam, and son Max live in Sun Valley, Idaho. She’s home-schooling Max, as well as tutoring at a private school

Heard from Suzanne Garry Hagener and she catches us up with her good news. Boy Thomas was born last September, and his older sister is just over two-years-old. Suzanne’s been consulting in marketing for a while, and is on a “sabbatical” of sorts to spend more time with her brood.

Did you know that Brad Johnson is senior VP/GM for Hunt Corp.? He dropped me a note recently -- a great catch-up, to say the least. “As I’m writing this, Game 4 of the NBA Finals is on (and I’m on an airplane, not watching it). I’m not expecting Bradley’s 76-ers to pull it out, but regardless, Bradley must be having more fun than many of us right now. Remember the Bulls? Seems long ago.”

From time to time I look up Sulzer Chemical on the Web to see how corporate CEO Fred Kindle is doing. Fred’s been fighting proxy fights and a hostile tender offer, and is now spinning off Sulzer’s medical device holdings. Today he’s responsible for about 10,000 people, $1.5 billion in sales, and for keeping his Harley Davidson Fat Boy shiny. Recently he spent some vacation time in New York City, meeting up with old friends like Nita Halim.

If you need an updated photo of Brad Schneider, look up the Chicago Tribune June 3 article on “Confusion on Estate Tax.” Brad’s pictured and quoted in an article that discusses the new estate tax law. He is principal of Davis Dann Adler Schneider LLC in Bannockburn, Ill.

After running into Sarah Wortman Peterson and Dave Peterson at a dance recital where our girls were all performing, we sat down for dinner at Hackney’s. They have three girls — Lindsay, 10, Ally, 7, and Lauren, 2. Dave is managing partner at an investment firm with a focus on technology-based outsourcing. Sarah is into the kids and a bevy of projects, including getting the family ready to move into a new home in Barrington, Ill.

Brent Koehler recently left Lucent Technologies and moved to the Minneapolis area with his family. He tried retirement, but found his passion for business too powerful to resist. He is working with several technology companies as an adviser and investor, and also trying to establish contact with classmates in the Midwest. So far, he and his family have visited with us, Marty Malecki, Tom Gregory, and Pat Ciriaks, during a whirlwind weekend to Chicago.

These notes are interesting to write, and some of you might even read them, but let’s think about how to really grow our Kellogg family. For one thing, make sure you keep your information current in the Kellogg Alumni directory, another tool to help keep us connected. Find yourself at http://www.kellogg.nwu.edu/alumni/index.htm.