1975

Rep: Greg Kravitt
1149 Laurel Ave.
Deerfield, IL 60015
gkravitt1975@kellogg.northwestern.edu

I am happy to report that my son Josh Kravitt will begin attending Kellogg this year. He applied to both Kellogg and the University of Chicago, and was accepted at both schools. Fortunately, he made the right decision. Between my father attending Northwestern's undergraduate School of Commerce, my attending Northwestern's Graduate School of Management and my son's education, we are going on three generations with NU.

Though he is officially retired, Myron Karasik is helping a couple of startups in Israel, and a couple of former clients in California.

Bruce Sandelin's LegalShield and Life Partner Businesses are doing well. He was elected president of his local Kiwanis Club, and is running hard to get started. Unfortunately, Bruce and his wife lost Karen's dad on Jan. 25.

Sandra Wilson's son, a former Boston Consulting Group consultant, is working at United Airlines in the company's strategy group. Her daughter, who will receive her MBA from Duke May 12, will be working at Medtronic in Minneapolis. Now that Sandra's children are launched, she is thinking about retirement.

Mike Wien celebrated his 60th birthday in October by competing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. He came out of the 2.4 mile ocean swim in 11th place in his age group. He fell back to 18th place during the 112 mile bike ride across the lava fields on the west side of the Big Island. However, Mike is a runner and was able to make up time during the 26.2 mile marathon to take second in the world behind a competitor from Switzerland. It was Mike's third time competing in the World Championships. In 2006, Mike placed sixth and in 2010, Mike placed 15th.

In addition to training for Ironman events, Mike is a professional speaker, providing keynote addresses and leading workshops on how to grow a business in today's competitive environment. Mike uses his Ironman experience as a metaphor and his 30 years of marketing experience to make important points about finding a competitive advantage or a specific edge.

Tom Fleeter probably took the least likely path after graduation. He went on to medical school and is a practicing orthopedic surgeon in Reston, Va. He does use his MBA regularly. He recently retired as chairman of the board of trustees at Reston Hospital Center. He started a medical malpractice company in Virginia, and serves as a board member of the Association of Virginia Physicians. He is also on the board of Congressional Bank, a small bank headquartered in Potomac, Md. Lastly, he chairs the medical liability committee for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Mario Typaldos returned to his home country of Panama after graduating in 1975. He and his wife Mercedes have been married since 1974 and have three grown children and four grandchildren. Lately, Panama has become a travel destination and Mario wants his classmates to know that they are welcome to contact him if they visit at mario.typaldos@solusoft.com, 507.232.9222, 507.232.9201 or 507.6673.0701. In 1999, Mario decided to start his own business in the software industry and has been associated as a partner with Oracle for the past 21 years. He visits California almost every year for business matters. He also visits Ann Arbor, Mich., often where his daughter lives with her husband, a medical doctor at the University of Michigan Health System.

John W. Bluford, current Chair of the American Hospital Association and President/CEO of Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, authored a whitepaper on the impact of poor nutrition (junk food) on the health of Americans and on healthcare providers. He also authored a smaller "editorial" sized version of the paper, "A Call to Action Against Junk Food." Bluford was also named one of the "40 Most Powerful People in Healthcare" by Becker's Hospital Review in January.

CORRECTION: Pam Snite Kerr pointed out that the recent article in the KGSM Alumni News incorrectly stated the low cost digital x-ray machines that the Wilmette Harbor Rotary Club projects to be needed worldwide is the number 80,000, rather than the dollar amount of $80,000.

John Bluford '75 with Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, chairman of the Global Scientific Committee of the International Hospital Foundation. John met with Dr. Al Madani during the World Health Congress in Dubai in November.

Mario Typaldos ’75 and family