Martha Ayala and Angel Rodrigues, both '84, at Reunion
	Jimmy Margolis '84, lead singer for The Bullets, who performed at Reunion
	The Gerlack family from Seattle attended the Class of 1984's Reunion
	Karl-Olof Mills '84 and family

1984

"If there's a class that had a better time at Reunion, I'd like to meet them."---Tom Gerlach.

Tom's sentiments were echoed by almost everyone who attended our big 20th reunion celebration in the spring. Indy Desai Christie wrote: "It was truly wonderful to see everyone at Reunion. It really felt like the years melted away as we talked with each other! I want to thank the Bullets, who played brilliantly throughout the night, but in doing so, gave up their time to talk with other classmates during our last event!"

The number of attendees surpassed all previous Kellogg 20-year reunions. Kai Hammerich from London and Martha Ayala and Angel Rodriguez from Mexico took the awards for furthest international travel this year. And every region of the country seemed to be represented as well.

We were a great group 22 years ago when we met, and we have become a phenomenal group of hard-working, fun-loving (you already knew that), successful, community-minded individuals. It hasn't been 20 years of success and happy times for everyone, but this is a class of survivors. Our classmates have survived layoffs, mergers, companies going public, companies going private (sometimes the same companies that just went public), losing our hard-earned investments in "can't-lose" ventures, sitting in the next building while two planes hit the World Trade Center towers and cancer. And during Reunion, we celebrated our successes, our tough times and the perspective that we have gained through it all.

The highlight of the weekend was the Saturday night party with 120 people in attendance. It was definitely the most fun this group has had together since the Mexico suitcase party, and there was no (OK very little) tequila involved. We had such a good time that we didn't even gossip about the people that weren't there. The famous Bullets, including classmates Jimmy Margolis, Rick Smilow and Bob Kornick, with Class of '83 alums Dave Tuchler and Steve Lui, got together for the first time after 20 years to provide fantastic music for the party. No one could believe they had just rehearsed once --- the previous night. In the aftermath, Rick pleaded for photos from classmates (which have been forwarded to the class Web site) to prove to his kids that their dad is, indeed, a rock star.

Here's some of the other news I picked up: Greg Merkley is surprised to find himself still in Evanston. When he went to Kellogg in 1982, he always planned to go back home. Not only is he still far from home, he is still within shouting distance of Northwestern. Rob McKay was with GE Capital after Kellogg and has now been with US Bank for eight years. He is single and enjoys running.

Marty Peterson was glad we recognized her without the long blond hair and headbands. She spent years in management consulting and venture capital, then served as president of an industrial products manufacturing company until 2000. After an encounter with cancer, Marty decided to take time out from her frantic life and career to think about what really made her happy and how to spend her time. After wondering if she could ever do it, she decided to take a leap to a brand-new career. She found a calling in voice-over and on-camera work. Now she enthusiastically "looks forward to each and every day." We wish you continued good health and happiness, Marty!

Arlys Freedman has been living in the Twin Cities and working in a family business. Kathy Hust Lund spent some time at General Mills, then moved with her husband to Houston which, she announced at our Reunion luncheon, she did not enjoy. She now lives in Denver with her husband and two daughters and is a food broker. Katherine Morales lives in Washington, D.C., and worked at the same company for 13 years. She is a proud grandma!

Carla Grillo spent the majority of her career at Solomon Brothers. She was an eyewitness to the planes hitting the World Trade Center towers on 9/11 and lost her job shortly after the tragedy. With a new perspective on life, Carla saw her job loss as an opportunity to reconnect with important people in her life. After never attending any reunion, she made our 20th her first ever.

And finally, the reunion had a dramatic affect on my life. Seeing all of you intelligent, ambitious people doing interesting and challenging work has made me realize what I have missed for the last 10 years while I have been home with my kids. If anyone was fibbing, fabricating or exaggerating about their fantastic career during the reunion, this would be a good time to come clean because I am about to make a big lifestyle change based on your assertions. I've decided that in the next few months I'm going find the best flexible, part-time marketing job within 10 miles of my house. I'm open for suggestions, opinions, advice and, of course, offers.

I am still looking for a co-writer for this column. If I don't get one for a while, that's OK. With report cards, computer camp and the school talent show coming up, I will have plenty of news to report. More Reunion updates in the next column. Please send a quick email to let us know what you are doing.