From left, Jeff Voss, Todd Brachman ’ 86 and Willie Kotas ’86 renew Class of 1986 bonds.

1986

Let me start by saying that I apologize in advance for any update information that I missed. I had a slight computer problem and a few updates may have been lost. On another topic, I seem to remember that we had more than 400 people in our class, but reading the updates, it seems like we had only 20. My guess is that many of you have a job, spouse and children and leave the house occasionally. Any of those could be a topic for a Kellogg World update. Just like "Seinfeld," this is a column about nothing.

Gerhard Schmid reports that in May, he was called by Dean Dipak C. Jain, who broke the news that he was nominated for the annual Alumni Award. About 200 people, including faculty and advisory board members, attended the ceremony in Evanston. Gerhard claims the attendees were interested in what he had to say about Kellogg values. I do not have a second source for this. When he returned home, he found a very nice "heritage" chair with his name on it. He now understands the deeper meaning of "chairman." Gerhard accepted this award and the chair on behalf of the entire Swiss team, including Martin Suter, and he appreciates their support during his presidency. If the rest of you want to sit in the chair, please call before stopping by.

Lori Collins and her friend Marshall spent some time in Morocco teaching skills to children. Lori taught cooking to children ages 4 to 17, and twice they cooked dinner for the entire orphanage (50 people). One of the most challenging aspects was using Moroccan recipes written in French. The good news is that the meals turned out great and the orphans learned how to use ketchup. Marshall taught swimming and soccer during the heat of the Moroccan day. Marshall is a real estate developer and an actor. That is why he only uses one name. He has been in a few movies, and one of them was shown at Sundance. He recently finished a movie that included a part for Lori to play the "other woman." Now in real life, she is the WOMAN, not the other woman.

From Indianapolis, Brad Kime is happy to announce that he has moved. He has sold his home in Columbus, Ind., and has moved to a loft condominium in downtown Indy. He is really enjoying the switch to an urban lifestyle. I believe he ran into Lori at the Kentucky Derby, but I lost the story. It was something about the last-place horse and an old Moroccan recipe.

Nikki Pope, crazed lawyer-to-be, finished her third year at Santa Clara University School of Law, where she finished in the top 10 percent of her class and qualified for the oh-so-prestigious Order of the Coif. She spent 14 days studying for the California Bar Exam, arguably the most difficult bar exam in the United States. After she passes this three-day monstrosity, she will leave immediately for Washington, D.C., where she has accepted a low-paying job as an antitrust attorney with the Justice Department. She had to decide whether she should drive to D.C. in a purple convertible through the South or fly to the right coast (no political pun intended there, Charlie) and ship the car. Once again, I lost the end of the story. She had a great vacation in Kauai and will retire there if she ever retires or gets a job that pays serious cash.

Nikki blackmailed Craig Brennan to submit an update. According to Nikki, Craig is gallivanting between San Francisco to Peru. Rumor was that Craig found time to attend Burning Man in the Nevada desert. Craig is continuing his "time off," "second retirement," "extended year-long vacation" as he contemplates his next career move. He is considering several CEO opportunities with enterprise software companies, both East and West Coast, and one venture capital role in Washington, D.C.. In the meantime, he is enjoying friends and adventures throughout South America, the most recent being a trip to Peru and Brazil, and is planning a follow-up trip to Hawaii. Craig, do you need a new best friend? Craig reported that Kirk Elliot is doing well and continuing his studies in San Diego in Chinese medicine, as he thinks up new business models to reshape the industry.

Patrick McNamara was featured in an interview with philosopher Ken Wilber entitled, "Sex, Identity, Spirituality: God in Gay Culture." His work as a social entrepreneur is really taking off. Patrick has been working in the area of spirituality and social transformation for the last five years. He is using many of the skills he learned at Kellogg, which is a shock to him. If you would like more information, contact Patrick directly or visit www.gayspiritculture.org.

Judy Seldin writes that she moved to Boston after yanking the cord on a golden parachute at her last job. She had a dream position helping an entrepreneur grow his business then sell it to a public company. She is hoping some entrepreneur in Boston will also want her to help him or her retire for life. Bored from packing boxes, she went to an executive education course at the Allen Center the week before the move. It's always good to have kids available for packing chores. She comments that the course and the accommodations were terrific and the 30-percent tuition discount for Kellogg alums was particularly lovely. While jogging around the lake, she noticed five or six concrete benches that were donated by our class. Judy has two daughters at boarding school in Andover who are remarkably delighted to have their mom and youngest sister living closer to them. Those who suspect that this is due to their wanting home-cooked meals have clearly forgotten a lot about Judy.

Fred O'Connor lives just down the street from Kellogg in Evanston --- in a house, not on one of our benches. He and his wife, Jill, are raising three great boys. Fred has started wearing cardigans and smoking a pipe. His uncle retired from the Navy and might live with them to help out around the house. His practice in executive search is going well, and he has enjoyed re-engaging with so many of our classmates. They celebrated Jill's birthday with Doug Allen and his wife, Julie, at a picnic in a beautiful north suburban park and are delighted that the Allens are taking to the charms of the North again. They also have enjoyed having family outings with John and Karen Coons. I enjoy that too. The O'Connors also saw Heinz Felder and his wife, Gudrun, who were visiting from Germany and France. Speaking of France, Renaud Valentin wrote to say he plans a trip to New York this fall. Fred enjoyed the stories about Renaud's wife, Armelle, and their three sons. Cue the accordion.

From the Twin Cities, Ron Leaf is on the move. He moved to LFE Capital, a private equity firm. Ron's daughter, Jessica, is playing volleyball with the daughter of Jean Lewry '87. Jean and her family moved into Ron's neighborhood last year. Ron and Mary saw David Jaffray and his band play at a local coffeehouse over the summer. Dave reports later that the coffeehouse had record sales that evening. I heard that customers were forced to buy a coffee to get out. Dave and the band were invited back several times.

Former 1986 classmates and their families took in a New York performance of “Beauty and the Beast.” Front row, from left, David O’Hara, Meghan O’Hara, Alan Festekjian, Andre Festekjian, Marc Gyongyosi, Kira Gyongyosi, Lauren Davis and Evan Davis. Back row, from left, Cindi Bigelow ’86, Nazareth Festekjian ’86, Nila Festekjian, Thomas Gyongyosi ’86, Natalie Gyongyosi, Marie Davis and Jordan Davis ’86

Cindi Bigelow and her two children spent a day in New York with Thomas Gyongyosi and his wife, Natalie, and their two children; Jordan Davis and his wife, Marie, and their two children; and Nazareth Festekjian and his wife, Nela, and their three boys. How many classmates have three sons? Anyway, the 17 of them went to see "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway and then had dinner at a super Brazilian restaurant. Thomas has invited the whole group to visit him in Switzerland. They are looking for volunteers to coordinate the trip.

I'm sure many of you noticed Allie Schieffelin's name in the paper over the summer. It's true: She finished the New York Times crossword puzzle in ink. On a very difficult-for-me serious note, it sounds like Allie went through some tough times at Morgan Stanley and came out of it with her head high. After several hours of phone calls and much email, Allie would like to say for the record, "no comment."

David Vogdes and wife Christina welcomed daughter Maya Sonoma Vogdes on June 15 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

William Krueger was one of a handful of Beijing-area alums to share their experiences with prospective applicants to the school. According to sources, William delivered an inspirational speech and shared his perspective on Kellogg during the recent information session.

A Nov. 13 fundraiser honored our friend Suzanne Dreebin Wilensky, who passed away in 1996. The event was planned for the opening night of "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years --- Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum" at the Field Museum in Chicago. The event was a benefit for the Leukemia Research Foundation, Suzanne's Friends For Life. For more information, visit www.suzannesfriends.org.

As for me, I had a nice time with Willie Kotas in Milwaukee. We visited a few dozen taverns in search of the perfect beer. He was here for a charity bike ride. Just like Babe Ruth, he rode the bicycle in the middle. A big thank-you to Karen Huber '83 for the loan of the bicycle. Laurie and I visited Arizona in September and spent an evening with Rob Ahrensdorf '85 and his wife, Amy, and their two boys. We were there for the golf and the Badger game. I spent most of the summer teaching classes at two colleges. It was hard to remember which lies I told to each class. Dave Volk, I need you to get in touch. I have some news for you. To the rest of you, please keep in touch.