EMP-51

Greetings, alumni, and congratulations! Together we have succeeded in pulling off the greatest "Guess the B.S." to date, and this one will be hard to top. That's right; EMP-51 Reunion v.2004 was total B.S. No elaborate plans came to life, no trip to Napa Valley, no complimentary upgrades at a four-star hotel, no organized daily activities, no Messick lecture, no champagne toast, no participants from other classes ... NOTHIN'! Needless to say, anyone desirous of future reunions should nominate themselves reunion chairperson. Trust me, you'll have my vote.

News Roundup: George Kostopoulos dropped a line: "Yes, I'm here, but very busy. Trying to get the house design in the Detroit area finalized so we can start construction. We also planned my family's return in August (I stay on until December), so it's been hectic." Looks like you have appropriately prioritized Oktoberfest in the most authentic setting possible. Glad to hear you'll be returning to Motown. Look us up when you come back.

Jim "Jimenie" Gibb(on)s checked in with a note to bring us up to date: "I'm fighting some technical difficulties, as lightning apparently has affected my home email/system, and I'm unable to use the government system to enroll in Yahoo groups. Meanwhile, my contact information is: 85723 Bostick Wood Drive, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034." Or reach him at home at 904.225.5728 or by email at gibbsjr.ctr@bic.usmc.mil.

He added he's ready to chuck his golf clubs in the lake due to his inability to find something with both hands.

Thanks for the info, Jim. Makes sense to see the words "unable to use" and "government" in the same sentence. Hope all is well; stay in touch.

Eric Rozier and his wife, Michele, are rolling into Detroit: "New job, same company, and we will be living in Birmingham, Bloomfield or Troy. I will let you know when we get the process started." Welcome to some of the niftiest weather on the planet. Dinner's waitin' for ya. Gimme a call and come and get it.

Helen Chionis made another trek in the 13th annual Komen Orange County Race for the Cure in late September. Keep up the great work, Helen; you've got my pledge.

Gene "Mahatma" McMahon was kind enough to forward some correspondence between himself, Michael "Mec" Crane and Marc Zimmermann. This missive from Mr. Crane: "I think it really just hit me this morning what it means to live in East Tennessee. I was listening to the radio this morning on the way into work when they announced, right alongside the morning Iraqi update, that the state legislature passed a bill to make the showing of 'butt cracks' illegal in the state. Apparently, if you want to reveal that part of the anatomy, you have to cross state lines. I'm sure it was a very dignified debate by some of the state's brightest and finest. I wonder who argued against this law?"

Marc Z.: This may hurt your efforts to market to the local Tennessee market. You'll have to work out a new strategy with your market director, Dr. McMahon.

I swear to you on a stack of five copies of the Reference Guide to the Geneva Conventions that (nearly) every word printed above is unaltered from the original message.

As Gene put it so eloquently, "Quite the kidders, those former Group R folks."

Speaking of the Good Doctor, he writes: "Spoke with Marc Zimmermann in August when he ventured north to the land of cheeseheads to watch Vijay Singh dethrone the Tiger. According to Marc, Vijay is hoping to someday change his stripes and teach marketing or advertising at Kellogg. It beats hawking slurpies on the Senior Tour. Marc hopes to watch Vijay not only target and segment at the Allen Center, but progress to the point where he can blow a shofar in his own right. Enough tongue-in-cheek chitchat. Marc continues to be his wonderful self and continues to roam the country for any far-fetched reason. Beware!"

Thanks, Gene. You're a magnanimous career coach.

Kevin Counihan and Steve Sullins of EMP-51 enjoy a time out from Rudyard Kipling’s wine cellar for this photo, taken from Steve’s new digs on the Thames.

Steve "Love Boy" Sullins has BIG NEWS: "Mates: Many of you know, others will be surprised, that I've bid farewell to the States and have moved to London. I'll be here for three years or so, still with PwC, and still working with the Ford Motor Co. account, dealing with the European side. I've got a great flat right in the middle of London, about halfway between Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London, just off the Thames and across from the London Eye. Plenty of room for those passing through or those who want to come stay for a few days, weeks, whatever. Rudyard Kipling once lived in the building in the late 1800s, and there is a great wine bar in the cellar that has been here since then. Look out!

"I've got new dive equipment and a new set of skis, and I'm ready to take on the Red Sea and the Alps. Anyone else interested? Drop me a line and let me know how you're doing or when you're coming. My new contact info is listed below, so stay in touch via email or give me a call. Cheers, Steve."

Steve's work email: stephen.sullins@us.pwc.com or stephen.sullins@uk.pwc.com. Mobile phone: +44.78.3425.2400. Home phone: +44.20.7839.8065. Work phone: +44.12.6870.2019 or +44.12.1265.5088.

Home address:Flat 1, Kipling House, 43 Villiers St., London WC2N 6NE U.K.

Thanks for all the info, Steve. We'll have to act fast to enjoy the wine cellar before you get through Rudyard's 1828 Port. Cheerio!

The world of choppers has seen some movement recently. More corporate snooping produced the following announcement from Nasos Karras, Honeywell's vice president of military and helicopter propulsion, about Serge Tarazi's move to Phoenix:

"I am pleased to announce that Serge Tarazi has accepted the position of director, heavy lift helicopters, for the military and helicopter propulsion organization, effective July 26. In this role, Serge will be responsible for the overall program management and business performance of all heavy lift helicopter engine programs.

"Serge brings to this role 18 years of aerospace experience in engineering, military sales, marketing, leadership and program management positions from an enterprise, as well as market segment perspective. Most recently, he served as director, core programs, of the hardware products group in St. Louis, Mo. His previous Honeywell experience includes the roles of sales and marketing director, Boeing and Helicopter OEM programs in St. Louis, and manager, aerospace programs, Allied-Signal Aerospace, in Morristown. He first joined Honeywell International in 1986 as a systems engineer at Bendix test systems division.

"Serge earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Serge is green-belt-certified."

And just think, EMP-51, we were there. Clearly this industry is capable of spelling complex names. Nice work, Serge. Up, up and away!

Desi "Daisy" O'Grady was traveling and found an occasion to pass on his regards to "Love Boy" about the recent move to England.

Marc Zimmermann reported that he took advantage of the time he blocked on the calendar for Reunion 2004 by jetting to San Francisco and heading into Napa. Rumors placed Coleman McDonough at the scene in SF, but he eluded cameras once again.

David He checked in from the other side of the globe: "Greetings from Shanghai. How are you? I took the family back for vacation on the West Coast in early July, but could not extend my stay beyond July to join the reunion." (Really, David, it was no problem).

He continues: "Have been doing well in the Far East. Moved into a new position at the end of 2003. I am now running the Asia Pacific silicone elastomer business for GE Advanced Materials. Since I moved to Shanghai at the end of 2002, I have had opportunities to see several EMP-51 classmates here in Shanghai. Shi-Qing Wang is a frequent visitor. Davin Lee played around with the idea of coming to China until SARS scared him off. Now Joe Kruzich is coming to China to continue his quest for the new world. Earlier this year I hosted the executive GIM troupers, who, after a "no-show" due to SARS in 2003, finally made it over to China. It was great to see Julie and Bernie again and catch up with Professor Honack."

Geez, David, it's like you are standing in the parking lot of the Allen Center at 2:45 a.m. with Kellogg traffic like that. Hope to see you soon.

Elizabeth Crane reports she has nothing to report. Keep us posted, E.

Anthony Marino offered a glimpse into future Kellogg World editions: "Scott Brewer, Desi O'Grady, myself and maybe a few more hooked up with Zim and Andy Krupp in Austin mid-October for a weekend of football and fun and games. Also we are trying to pin down a date for a weekend in Hong Kong. Early December seems to be the leading candidate."

All I can say is, "Pass the aspirin." Let me know how it goes and if the HK trip gets put together. I'm sure Coleman can work it in; I hear it's been a while since he's had a hot bath.

Bernardo Sada posted some news for us: "On the professional end, Foonte, my company, is about to finish its first land development with approximately 250 lots of land; this includes single-family housing, multifamily housing and commercial properties. We have already started construction of five sample houses, which will show potential customers how their homes could look. We are also about to hit the market with our first condo building. We have only eight units left."

Sounds great. I hereby dub you lord of the land south of the border. Keep the good news coming.

Chris Jurasek reigns supreme as our globetrotting Kellogg "connector" of the year: "I am quite busy as usual traveling. Saw George Kostopoulos in Germany a couple of times and went out with Zimmermann in Chicago in August. Saw Andrew Young in LA. He is well as usual. Had lunch with Gene McMahon shortly after sending my new contact information to the class. It turns out that his office is within walking distance from mine here in Milwaukee. I had lunch with Guillermo Herrera in September just before I went over to Slovakia, Austria and Croatia. This will hopefully be my last visit to Slovakia, as I am turning over this vendor relationship to one of my staff.

"I am very happy to be living at home again. We have moved closer to my Milwaukee office, so I am home quite often. Hailey, 4, was quite confused as to how it was now possible for me to leave for work in the morning and be back for dinner. For her whole life up to July 1, I left for work Monday morning and came back on Thursday evening. Our older two children started this school year in Woodland 50 school district in Gurnee, Ill. They seem to be having a really great time.

"I am sorry that Jeanne and I were not able to make Reunion (like so many others, apparently). Maybe we should consider a different time of year? I also hear that the West Coast is difficult for some people to get to because of child care, etc. Maybe sometime in the dead of winter in Chicago would be better for them? Tell everyone that I miss them very much."

Chris, you just told them. Keep me posted on your next connection with an EMP-51 alum.

Randy Hopper is taking a break from the footlights to get us up to date: "Not a lot of news here, other than I heard that a certain bean counter ex-patriot is attempting to rekindle a lost love from the days of KLog. (Oh, tell me more!) Please send me your cell phone and work and home numbers, as my cell phone is on a Delta flight somewhere between Ft. Lauderdale and Milwaukee.

"Things are going well here. I am splitting my week between Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, as I lost my GM there and decided not to replace him, but to try to do it myself. No free time, no golf, no travel. We just moved back into our house last week after a year of living in a temp house while the construction was being done on ours.

"Topher started kindergarten this fall. Life in Fond du Lac was clearly defined for me this summer when in the course of five hours I sat and listened to President Bush speak at a local business and later found myself sitting in the cow palace at the county fair bidding on a 4-H kid's pig. Only in Fondy, baby. P.S. I ran my first triathlon in August."

All right, let's add this up: Working without anybody's help, no golf, no travel, listening to the King of Pork and then bidding on one, running a marathon. OK, who are you and what have you done with Randy Hopper?

Joan Duvall has some news for us: "I have relocated and changed companies. No longer with Carrier-United Technologies in Indianapolis, I moved in the spring to A.O. Smith and am the director of strategic marketing for the water products division. So now I am back in the South living in Brentwood, Tenn., and loving the sunshine."

She also reports that her contact info is updated on the alumni Web site. Nice work, Joan. Keep me posted on the legislative affairs in your area, too.

Larry Murphy checked in with info about his new habitat: "I'm having a great time in Montana. I have had the pleasure to see bear, long-horned sheep (they try to keep them away from U of M grads), mountain goats, eagles and all sorts of other wildlife here in Glacier National Park.

"The big football rivalry here is MSU vs. U of M, believe it or not (of course the M stands for Montana in this case). It is pretty bitter, but not quite what we experience in the Great Lakes State. I had the chance to see Shi Qing this summer, and he is doing well with On Wafer. I will probably see him next week in Taiwan as well. I spent some time in China this summer, and I want to let everyone know the camel at the Great Wall is doing fine. Hope all is well with everyone."

Well, Larry, I assumed all the M's in your note had to do with Montana anyway. Drive safely. By the way, if I'm on the Jersey Turnpike, what exit do I take to get to Rutgers?

On a personal note, you're all welcome to join me (first-come, first-served) on Nov. 13 in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines host the 'Cats in the big house. I have seats available. For those who can't make it, be sure to tune into the game and look just a bit to the right of the Meechigan marching band and you may see me and the first three callers at 734.717.7008. (Band ... TAKE THE FIELD).

Yeah, Ryan, I know: The band probably SHOULD HAVE taken the field at the Notre Dame game.

Keep those cards and letters coming --- this column is only as good as you make it.

Yours truly.

P.S. This installment of EMP-51 Class Notes marks the fourth round of "Can You Guess the BS?" To enter you must reply with some news about you and your guess as to which of the aforementioned stories is NOT TRUE. There will be numerous prizes awarded for correct answers. Multiple guesses are allowed.