EMP-11

Elliott Angelos passed away almost a year ago but I wanted to update you with what Jan Leetstma writes about his study group member: "Elliott was an avid serious reader. His heritage was Greek but the family lived in, then fled from Turkey and moved to the U.S. where his father ran a restaurant in Chicago (he was born here). He was very interested in the history from that part of the world: Greco-Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other histories. He had a degree in fine arts and was interested in art and antiquities. He spoke Greek reasonably well and some Turkish and traveled quite a bit over there but before B-school. His reading reflected his interests. We shared an interest in the contemporary Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk and exchanged a couple of his books not long before he died. Elliot told me that on one of his trips, he visited the town in Turkey (in Cappodoccia region) where his family was from. He located the humble family house, and even found an ancient old lady who remembered his father and family. This was all very moving for him as you can imagine."

Jan also writes: "I've been doing fine but working too hard for somebody who is retired...ho ho ho. At least I don't have to punch the clock and I don't have a boss except my super-ego. My most recent project is 'in the can' so to speak."

Jan said that he has completed the second edition manuscript of Forensic Neuropathology (Taylor & Francis Publishing). The book, now in production, is 750 pages with nearly 300 color illustrations and photos and will be released in November. "If sales of the last one (published in 1988) are any indication, forensic pathologists and medical examiners and lots of attorneys will find it useful and hopefully a 'must have.' This book will surely not make me rich, but it is a culmination of a career. This was a huge undertaking for an old bum like me: about two-plus years of pretty constant work all day, everyday. I had a couple of contributors but basically I wrote the book."

Jan also has been involved with a biotech-drug development company called Naurex Inc. that was started in the late 90s. He writes: "We have a number of very promising drugs that are poised at phase I human clinical trials. One of them or a family of them could be very important and has treatment applications for dementia, stroke prevention, intractable pain amelioration and some other. One product involves a gene-based therapy for malignant brain tumors and another possibly for multiple sclerosis. We have been pursing the daunting task of attracting the interest of 'big' pharmas and will continue this quest to try to move these products toward the marketplace. I hope I live long enough!"

John Goebel writes: "I am in the middle of reading the latest Kellogg alumni magazine. I guess the thing that constantly amazes me is that we were class 11 and now there is EMP-70 and 71. I guess we were really in on the beginning of something great. I know that University of Michigan started their EMP program only four or five years ago. Doesn't seem like almost 25 years ago that we started ours. The only sure indication of that is the picture of Ed Wilson who was in the class before us while he was head of the EMP program. Who is that old guy anyway? I am sitting at the keyboard in Breckenridge, Colo., where we spend half the year. Most of the time we ski, play golf, hike the mountains and do some major road biking. I do spend about three days a month working on one of the three boards that I am involved with. It is a most interesting time to be trying to run a business. One of the boards is Coachmen Recreational Vehicles. You can guess that is really a lot of fun to be involved with at this time."

Steve Wertheimer writes: "My daughter Kathryn Wertheimer graduated June 20 at the 150th annual commencement of Northwestern University and earned a bachelor's degree in communications studies. After graduation, she moved onto Columbia University where she was accepted into the Columbia Publishing Course."

Russ Luedtke writes: "That's it for now. It seems that more than once a year I write that I am heading to Black Hills pedal biking the Mickelson Trail, but here we are again. I rode it Sept. 19-21. By the way, I am getting closer to retirement every day. Shooting for May 2009."