Class Note 1984

With the help of a four-week sleepaway camp in Wisconsin for our two daughters and Duke’s basketball camp in North Carolina for our son, we have managed to hook up the kids, water the plants (okay, we have no plants), board the pets (okay, we have no pets) and pack in carry-on baggage only (challenging) for our first big European excursion together (sans kids) in eight years. 


First, we’ll hang with Rick Bertasi in World Cup-crazy England and down a few warm beers in hopes of a big USA victory in the knockout round. Rick is global head of corporate real estate and services for Deutsche Bank. Rick and his family have lived in London these past few years and, despite settling in, will spend summers at their home in Weston, Connecticut. His oldest daughter Reilly just completed her freshman year at Dartmouth and his second daughter Margy matriculates at Princeton next fall (boo hiss, sorry we can’t help it). 


While in London perhaps we’ll run into Keith Howard, who relates: “As far as what’s going on in my life, I’m trying to raise funds for a new mortgage company that I am setting up in the United Kingdom, which, with the credit crisis and the Euro problems, is no small task these days. So to get my mind off of the fundraising trail once in a while I have picked up my old Takamine guitar and have been strumming quite a bit recently. The last band I was in was Deal With It, my freshman year back in Hanover. Warner Ide and company inspired me greatly at our 25th, so I’ve hooked up with some friends over here and we have started a sort of hacking around band during the past year. We may start gigging at some point. It’s never too late, you know.” 


After London we’ll journey to Turkey, where we have dinner plans with Kaya Kazmirci as we tour Istanbul. Kaya writes, “Married to Evin (Georgetown ’91) since 1991. Lived in Washington, D.C., from graduation to 1996 then moved to Istanbul. Son Kerem (11), daughter Selen (6). I’m the head of internal audit for Avea mobile telecommunications company. President of the Istanbul Information Systems Audit and Control Association chapter. I crew on a racing yacht (A35 named Ciciko) and mountain bike regularly. I speak two languages well, five poorly (Spanish, Romanian, French, German, Hebrew), just started on No. 8 (Arabic).”


Lastly we’ll travel onto Paris, where we hope to catch up with Chrys (Hijoung) Wan, who has been there for two years (after 12 years in Tokyo). 


Speaking of Japan Tom Perry writes: “Still living in Tokyo with my wife, Rika, and two dogs. Working for Turner Broadcasting, part of Time Warner, running three pay-TV channels: Cartoon Network Japan, Tabi Channel (travel) and MondoTV (subculture). Still drink beer!” 


And in Australia, where we hope to visit someday, we found John Marlette, who says, “Okay, you have enticed me to reveal myself over here in Australia. I’ve been here nearly 14 years now and have taken dual citizenship as I run a company providing technology and consulting to the Aussie livestock and red meat industry. My son Nicholas, age 7, and I live on the coast of New South Wales, a few hours north of Sydney. My accent is still pure American rust belt, so I still get asked daily how my holiday is going, to which I answer, ‘Most excellent!’ I welcome any classmates visiting down under to check in with me and we’ll have a beer with the local ’roos and koalas.” 


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek @comcast.net