Class Notes

December 2001

by Tony Lee

Although our class did not suffer any casualties in the terrorist attacks on September 11, I have heard of several harrowing experiences. John More, who lives in Washington, DC, had just dropped his daughter off for a flight to California. His account is on our web site.

Mark your calendars for February 2, 2002 for our annual Class Council meeting, dinner, and hockey game. Our Summer Fellow, Leah Zimmerman, will also talk about her summer trip to Russia. We'll begin planning for our 40th reunion in 2004. Please email me ideas for a theme and let me know if you're willing to help.

Dave Johnson emailed: "I have gone 'of counsel' with my Honolulu law firm. I continue the most interesting aspects of my business and real-estate law practice, and have much more time for teaching (literature and business law), scuba diving, hiking, and choral singing. I joined the Yale Alumni Chorus for its European tour this summer and had a wonderful time, including solving the world's problems while finishing off a bottle of Stolichnaya in Moscow with Pam and John Hanold. Life is good!"

From Dan Lowenstein who teaches at UCLA Law School: "The updated edition of my textbook, Election Law, has just been published. You would think that my sons would have learned to avoid politicians like the plague, but Aaron is working for New York City Councilman Phil Reed and Nathan is working for the California redistricters. My wife Sharon continues to manage a popular kindergarten enrichment program. We serve on the board of Interact, which we believe is the best theater company in Southern California."

Bill Moeller has been named president and chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare - Illinois, the state's second largest health benefits company. Bill was previously president and chief executive officer of Sanwa Business Credit Corporation and executive vice president of the First National Bank of Chicago.

Susan and Bob Hannah are living quietly in Fort Wayne, IN. Susan is Vice-Chancellor at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, a Division of Purdue, with about 12,000 students. Bob sold his information services company in Columbus, OH three years ago, and is currently consulting and teaching a writing course for engineers. They have four children, two married, and four grandchildren.

Lyn Hinojosa emailed: "So much has happened in the last 27 years, it is hard to capsulize in a paragraph. I have enjoyed modest success in the practice of law as a specialist in probate and trust litigation with my own 5-man firm in West Los Angeles. On the other hand, success in marital relationships has not been in the cards, although I have three great children. In addition to my legal practice and bar activities which I really enjoy, I have concentrated my physical exercise on Chinese forms such as Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua, and Nei Kung and also Pilates and Yoga. The end result seems to be that I am a flexible tubby man with a lot of energy. But it does beat the alternative. One of my dreams was to have one of my children attend Yale, but alas, my daughter Kelly would only go as far east as Michigan University (she's a freshman). I still have hopes for my son Jeffrey who is 15."

Tom Hout and his wife Sonja are headed to Hong Kong for two years. He'll teach at the University of HK. He wrote, "Both of us have lived in Asia before and we want one more shot. The Bush presidency, we thought, was an excellent time to go."

Red Howson checked in: "We continue to thrive in Richmond, Virginia, where we've lived for 19 years. Since 1995, I have worked as a career consultant with Lee Hecht Harrison, one of the world's largest executive counseling and outplacement firms. Needless to say, we're extremely busy at this stage of the economic cycle! I attended the 35th reunion and am really looking forward to the 40th. Our oldest son, David, has just entered Yale Drama School in the Master of Fine Arts program so we'll be getting to New Haven more often."

Randy Labbe reports from the Northwest: "I am still enjoying the challenge of navigating a family flour-milling business with sufficient time to pursue steelhead, upland birds, and new hiking trails. Leslie and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary in July and our three sons have chosen fields that suggest a family theme: fish biologist, environmentalist, and cowboy. Recent classmate sightings include George O'Leary who thrives in retirement with a near single-digit handicap, and Hoyt Wilson who still is punching cows in the Steens Mountains of S.E. Oregon's high desert. This summer I survived my first expedition to the Bohemian Grove encampment where I established that Rusty Hale knows absolutely everybody and at any point in time can lead you to the best wine, food, and song (some things never change). Tom Barton's rich baritone voice is so much in demand at the Grove that it is literally impossible to get a word in edgewise."

Rick Kroon wrote: "After 32 years with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, now CSFB, I am retiring. During my time at DLJ I saw many changes, with the firm's success taking my original 100 colleagues to well over 12,000, and the firm's lines of business beyond the original research-based equity focus to encompass practically all of the major investment banking product areas. Along the way, I had opportunities to be an analyst, one of the founders of DLJ's London operation, an investment banker for a very brief period, and lastly, the leader of a wonderful venture capital partnership, the Sprout Group. I plan to locate in an office in the Jersey Shore area, dabble a bit in business, and continue my existing directorship responsibilities. In the immediate future, I will be building a new house, enjoying a new boat, and praying that our last offspring makes it to college unscathed in the year 2002."

David MacBryde sent news from Berlin: "Although I'm still in considerable shock from September 11th, I do wish to report some good news. The taking down of 'The Wall' in Berlin and converting military bases to civilian use made it possible to create a peace dividend in Germany. I am working on building the 'virtual United Nations' internet platform in the form of an internet 'campground' for educational cooperation among universities and schools. A priority is for 'citizens diplomacy' among youth projects, for the long term."