Classes & Obits

Class Note 1987

Issue

Sept - Oct 2010



A very class secretary-supportive update this month from Adam Gross, who works in corporate communications for Northrop Grumman while continuing his Hollywood adventure.


“Quick news from month of June: Was back in N.Y.C. first week in June. We had a scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble, on display in Battery Park as part of the World Science Festival. We are prime contractor building it for NASA, Canadian Space Agency and European Space Agency. Great event, lots of press. The James Webb Space Telescope is the nation’s No. 1 priority in astronomy and physics for the next decade.


“Saw Eric Semler for a game and dinner at Yankee Stadium. Erik is doing great and when he’s not running a world class hedge fund he’s coaching his sons and local Bronx kids in baseball. He’s amazing, giving his time to promoting baseball among kids who love the game. He’s hands-on and 100 percent committed to making sure these kids get the support they need to just enjoy the game and realize their potential.


“Saw Dennis Sughrue. Got great pizza and gelato in the West Village. Dennis loves N.Y.C., his job as a partner at a commercial real estate law firm and his cat, which was a gift from Dan Bernstein and wife. Dennis lives in a great Richard Meier building off Prospect Park. He is as funny and perceptive about the human condition as ever.


“Saw Michael Kong for the Laker’s clincher of Game 7 in L.A. Great party at Michael’s place. Michael has a wonderful wife, Stacy, three beautiful daughters, a Chihuahua named Louis and a Labrador named Harry.


“Didn’t see Lauren Shwartz, but she saw my wife, J.J., during a fire drill at Disney’s office. I do keep in touch with Lauren. She is taking care of two kids, married to the very cool Mill, producing independent movies and running her commercial production company. I believe she also leaps tall buildings in a single bound.”


Meanwhile Drew Desky is still living in New York after all these years and provided an inspiring update: “In mid-2008 Citigroup dissolved my entire department as a result of the credit crisis. I let the friendly folks at Rand Thompson Consultants know. Rand Thompson is an executive recruiting firm that had been following my career for 10 years and we had developed a great relationship. They first asked me to do some business development consulting for them while I was engaged in my search. One thing led to another and they asked me to join full time last year, which I did. As the recruiting business was still reeling last year, the founder was looking to close up shop and retire, and my two business partners and I decided that we wanted to continue building the business and in December engineered a management buyout of the firm. Little did I know after working for large institutions for so long that I would become a small business owner. Rand Thompson focuses on executive recruiting for investment banking, corporate banking, capital markets, hedge funds, funds of funds and private equity. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such good people and help our clients while we place talented people in some great roles.”


Sort of reminds me of the old Remington commercials: “I liked the product so much, I bought the company.”


Celebrate before the Harvard-Dartmouth Homecoming game on October 30 at a four-class mini-reunion brunch with the ’86s, ’85s and ’84s. See our website for details, and e-mail mini-reunion chair Laura Gasser at lgx@cpuc.ca.gov if you plan to attend.


Wendy Becker, 2 Kensington Gate, London, England, W8 5NA; wendy.becker.87@alum.dartmouth.org; Melissa Wallshein Smith, 77 Benedict Hill Road, New Canaan, CT 06840; melissaj@optonline.net