Brian Mehta '99 married Kristin Deutmeyer on July 26

1999

Vic Sapphire married Jill Myers July 25. They live in West Hollywood, Calif.. Congratulations to Ari and Claudia (Goldman) Kandel, who welcomed daughter Jacobi Sasha Kandel on July 20.

Thanks to everyone who sent me news for this column. After not having any news for the last column, it looks like everyone has lots to share now, especially when it comes to new members of the family.

On May 25, Matt Ottmer married Megan McLean in Blacksburg, Va., in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They spent their honeymoon in Tuscany, after Megan took the bar and returned to Monitor consulting. Matt is still at Biogen as the director of global planning. They recently moved to Charlestown in Boston, just steps from the Bunker Hill Memorial. Look them up if you’re ever in the area: matt_ottmer@biogen.com.

Rob Tyler ’99 (left center) and his partner, Kirk Marcolina, in Maui, celebrate their commitment ceremony.

Rob Tyler and his partner, Kirk Marcolina, recently celebrated their commitment ceremony in Maui. Joining them for their special day were classmates Matt Guagenty, Ellen (Cleveland) Kobler, Johnny Lin and Brad Armistead. Rob and Kirk are now home in Los Angeles renovating their new home.

A great turnout from the classes of ’98 and ’99 at the wedding of Brian Menzies ’98 and Janet Morrison ’99

Brian Menzies ’98 and Janet Morrison were married in July in Victoria after more than five years of courtship, which all started when Brian was Janet’s KOA leader in the Boundary waters. But things really got going at Anne Imrie’s December party (thank you, Anne!). They had a terrific day and were touched at how many people traveled so far. In terms of Class of ’99 people, poor Peter Jarman had less than 24 hours in Victoria due to challenging flights (it’s an island, after all). Mickey Mericle made it there on her way out to help the Iraqi people. Heidi Sandreuter and Karyn Cohen made it all the way from the East Coast. Allyson Hodgins (Bonkowski) brought her handsome husband, Ralf, and we all got to meet her new addition, tuxedo-clad Class of 2030, Lukas. It was also great to have fellow cross-year Kellogg couples — Rebecca Mayne and Rory Altman ’98, and Shannon Smith and Jim Patterson ’98. Rob Tyler also made the trip up from L.A. and gave the couple one of the best memories of their wedding day.

Heather Welch came out from N.Y. and watched very closely as she prepared for her own wedding, which took place Labor Day weekend.

Scott Evans recently changed jobs to work with Cerberus Capital Partners, a private equity group that buys troubled companies. Lara and Scott moved from Chicago to Philadelphia as part of this change. Although they miss Chicago, they love the East Coast thus far and are looking forward to grabbing a beer with fellow classmates out there. Scott and Lara’s daughter, Hadley, is 15 months old and is a “complete blast,” says Scott.

Sarah Ouchi Tsai and Vince Tsai had their second son on June 1. His name is Ryan Andrew, and at 4 months old he is already more than 17 pounds. Sarah says, “We call him our ‘little sumo.’ He’s chunky, but cute!”

Rob and Jodi Ginsberg Zwiebach welcomed daughter Molly Rachel on July 14. They are having a great time with her.

Elizabeth Julia Soare, daughter of Lisa and Greg Soare ’99

Elizabeth Julia Soare, daughter of Lisa and Greg Soare, turned 1 year old on Sept. 28. She is walking and saying dada, and has been working on her entrance essays to Kellogg! Greg is now a product manager at Del Monte, responsible for Ketchup, and Lisa is staying at home with the little terror.

Norman Yung sent me a great note: “I found this summer to be remarkably different from those of the last five years. The most significant change is that I find myself to have a lot more free time on my hands. With the family away in China and my transitioning from McKinsey, I have found myself hanging out at bars, running along the lake, eating TV dinners (more than I have ever in my life), reading Chinese short stories and making weekend trips to Chicago. Despite my newfound freedom (or solitude), I miss: taking orders from Tracey — do this and that; playing around with Ethan, e.g., reading our favorite bedtime story, Goodnight Moon; and cajoling Zachary into liking me, which never really works for more than a few fleeing moments. I am looking forward to the regular household chores of a family of four and screaming kids getting into all sorts of trouble.

“As for work, GE has, to date, been a terrific experience! Who would have thought that I would be a Master Black Belt. To clear up any confusion, I have not become a karate master, nor did the interviewing process involve breaking any bricks, boards or bones. Master Black Belt is a fancy term for internal consulting. In my case, I focus on sales force effectiveness and marketing improvement studies. It seems like everyone knows someone who works at GE, just like everyone knows someone from New Jersey.”

The Class of ’99 is really making its mark on the Pacific NW. Sara Morris recently won the honor of being selected as one of Seattle’s “Top 40 under 40.” This award goes to young upcoming business leaders in the Seattle area. Sara is the executive director of the Northwest Office for TechNet, the foremost technology lobbying organization in the country. When she is not winning awards or discussing issues, she is working hard as the mother of twin girls.

Sharon Goldstein recently competed in the Black Diamond Olympic Distance Triathlon held in a beautiful area at the base of Mount Rainier. (Translation: The lake she had to swim almost a mile in was about 60 degrees, and she saw a brown bear on her bike ride.) To quote Dave Nute, who came to watch the race with Theresa Riedman (they road-tripped from Portland, Ore.): “Wow, you are looking very Linda Hamilton, Sharon!” After Sharon’s swim, she rode 25 miles and then cranked out a 10K run. She did all this with a smile on her face and managed to look fabulous at the same time. Now, back to her day job, running a product group at Real in Seattle.

Dave Nute moved to Portland last year and decided to go native—Oregonian, that is. He closed his software company, got a Bermese Mountain dog, Angus, and opened a high-end custom road-bike shop called VeloCraft. Dave’s store sponsored a national champion from New Zealand who came to Oregon to race last summer, and he is looking to expand his sponsorship to an entire international team next year. Dave sells bikes from small, independent manufacturers who specialize in their material of choice, such as titanium, carbon and steel, among others. Look for Sharon Goldstein to be riding a VeloCraft bike during the next Tri season!

Finally, can you believe that it’s been almost five years since we graduated from Kellogg? Neither can I! Be sure to save the date for our upcoming fifth reunion, which will take place April 30-May 2. More details to follow, but mark your calendars now.