Class Note 1975
Issue
What a summer it’s been for those of us here in New England. Seemingly endless, warm sunny days but now the air is just a bit cooler and dryer and the sky a deeper blue signaling that fall is just around the corner. At Dartmouth the influx of a new class, with a new president, a new athletic director, a new dean of the faculty and the appointment of the provost suggest that President’s Kim transition and vision have moved to the operational phase. The next year will be an important year for the College as it moves from the budget constraints of the past two years to a period of stabilized budgets and selective new strategic investments.
As usual after a reunion, the mail is light, but I did receive the following from Blake Winchell: “It was really great to see so many friends at the 35th reunion. Am still married to Stanford GSB sweetheart Lou Ann (Williams) and living a stone’s throw from The Farm (that’s Stanford). I started on an entrepreneurial track when I left Bain in 1983 and am still on it, having moved from the role of entrepreneur to that of venture investor about 15 years ago. For the last 11 years I’ve been responsible for Fremont Ventures, the venture capital investment vehicle of the Fremont Group in San Francisco. Late last year I launched a second fund, Partner Ventures (www.partnerventures.com), which is a direct secondary fund, purchasing equity positions in venture-backed companies from general partners seeking liquidity. I would welcome any investment ideas from the Dartmouth network. Lou Ann and I have three great kids (two college, one high school), and we still keep in touch with a lot of our Dartmouth ’75 friends. Please let us know if you are passing through the Bay Area!”
That’s all the news for now. As an aside I just finished the first 30 days of my yearlong mid-career master’s in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. It’s been an incredible experience so far—a mixture of intense microeconomics and quantitative statistics complete with lots of work and exams, but by far the best part of the program are the other 184 members of my class who bring their own experiences from across the globe—together we represent some 65 countries. Their accomplishments and aspirations are truly inspirational and humbling. Nancy and I send our best and if you’re in the area, please let us know. We’ll leave the lights on for you.
—Jim Bildner, 5 Boardman Ave., Manchester, MA 01944; (617) 737-1100; jim_bildner@hks11. harvard.edu
Nov - Dec 2010
What a summer it’s been for those of us here in New England. Seemingly endless, warm sunny days but now the air is just a bit cooler and dryer and the sky a deeper blue signaling that fall is just around the corner. At Dartmouth the influx of a new class, with a new president, a new athletic director, a new dean of the faculty and the appointment of the provost suggest that President’s Kim transition and vision have moved to the operational phase. The next year will be an important year for the College as it moves from the budget constraints of the past two years to a period of stabilized budgets and selective new strategic investments.
As usual after a reunion, the mail is light, but I did receive the following from Blake Winchell: “It was really great to see so many friends at the 35th reunion. Am still married to Stanford GSB sweetheart Lou Ann (Williams) and living a stone’s throw from The Farm (that’s Stanford). I started on an entrepreneurial track when I left Bain in 1983 and am still on it, having moved from the role of entrepreneur to that of venture investor about 15 years ago. For the last 11 years I’ve been responsible for Fremont Ventures, the venture capital investment vehicle of the Fremont Group in San Francisco. Late last year I launched a second fund, Partner Ventures (www.partnerventures.com), which is a direct secondary fund, purchasing equity positions in venture-backed companies from general partners seeking liquidity. I would welcome any investment ideas from the Dartmouth network. Lou Ann and I have three great kids (two college, one high school), and we still keep in touch with a lot of our Dartmouth ’75 friends. Please let us know if you are passing through the Bay Area!”
That’s all the news for now. As an aside I just finished the first 30 days of my yearlong mid-career master’s in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. It’s been an incredible experience so far—a mixture of intense microeconomics and quantitative statistics complete with lots of work and exams, but by far the best part of the program are the other 184 members of my class who bring their own experiences from across the globe—together we represent some 65 countries. Their accomplishments and aspirations are truly inspirational and humbling. Nancy and I send our best and if you’re in the area, please let us know. We’ll leave the lights on for you.
—Jim Bildner, 5 Boardman Ave., Manchester, MA 01944; (617) 737-1100; jim_bildner@hks11. harvard.edu