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Request for Response

I’ve been asked to pull together news and updates from my classmates at my high school and am going to try a little experiment – I’ll post the note here and have them respond via Comments. They can each see what the others write and build upon that to make something that will hopefully be greater than the sum of the individual parts. What follows is my original email

Hi Middlesex Class of ’84!

Yes it’s me again. Those of you that made it to the 20th, it was great seeing you again. Those of you that didn’t, well, let’s just say that we had a great time reviving embarrassing memories of events you rather were long forgotten.

As a reward for putting together the Friday dinner at the Colonial Inn, the alumni office kindly inquired if I would be interested in bringing together snippets of news from you all for the next issue of the Bulletin. My initial instinct was to push it away and gracefully duck responsibility but then I thought such a role (what do you call it anyway, Class Secretary? Class Historian? Hub of all Rumors?) would actually be a position of great power – heck, I can say what I want and it would take months of concerted efforts of a top PR firm for you to undo the misrepresentation. Andy Hoffman crystalized it for me when he said, “I better be nice to you or you might say I’ve joined the neighborhood glee club.” Precisely.

So here’s the deal – I need to submit something like 500 words to the School by the end of the week. OK, actually by July 1st but cut me some slack to pull it all together. Send me something by Friday to make it into the Bulletin. You can say what you want but I’ve got editorial rights here so I’ll edit to highlight the juicy bits so if you really want to punch something up, make it interesting.

Hey, I’ll even post this note onto my blog so you can add your bits as comments, that way you can all see the full draft before it goes to print. Click on the link below to view this comment on the web and you can add your comments by clicking on the “Comments” link below the post. Pretty nifty eh? If you’d rather not let the World Wide Web know about your latest accomplishments, then feel free to send me an email.

You can even tell me if you’ve joined a Glee Club.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Ian

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Ian Kennedy

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7 responses to “Request for Response”

  1. iankennedy Avatar
    iankennedy

    I guess it’s only fair that I start things off.

    Three years ago, my company had enough of my adventures in Asia and re-assigned me to a job at headquarters in Princeton, NJ where they could keep a sharp eye on me. My wife Izumi, Tyler (5), and Julia (2) had the pleasure of meeting many classmates at the recent reunion but lost faith in my recollection of rugged life was at Mx when they toured the recently rennovated Bryant-Paine.

    Reply
  2. Scott Kitson Avatar
    Scott Kitson

    Sorry to miss out on the revival of embarrassing moments at our recent reunion, I am sure there was plenty of material & lots of fun to be had… Thanks to you Ian for taking on the role of ‘hub’ so the rest of us can participate in a class submission to the next Bulletin. In the interest of catching up with everyone, following is some material on which you can exercise your editing powers…

    Two and a half years ago I started training to take over management control in our family business here in Bermuda. The educational highlight in the process was an amazing 2 week course I took with my father at Harvard Business School which specifically dealt with the issues surrounding survivorship of family businesses. With less than 1% of family businesses making it to the third generation, I knew I was in for a challenge and that if we were going to survive we had to learn to appreciate the difference in each other’s business styles. Much to my father’s credit he is now a resource for me, always there when I need his council, but happy to travel, play golf & not to be mired in the day to day issues of the companies.

    January 1, 2004 I was appointed President & CEO and am now responsible for our group of companies comprised of local and international insurance conmpanies and services, real estate sales, management & development and our 47 room Hotel ‘Rosedon’.

    My wife Susan and I just shared our 10th anniversary and we are blessed to have 3 beautiful children: Matthew (8), Quincy (6) and James (3). The three kids keep my wife busy full time; when they are a little older she will have fully earned retirement from being the cook, maid, taxi driver, social coordinator and all around cheerleader. Watching her makes me quite comfortable with going off to the relative peace and quiet of working in my office!

    That said, I am really enjoying being an active Dad; on the School Board, running the School Fair, Coaching Tee ball & Little League etc. I am keenly aware that I better enjoy them now as it won’t be long before they are teenagers and start acting like we did at MX….YIKES

    Bermuda has provided many opportunities to catch up with former classmates; as a vacation destination it really emphasizes how small of a world it is… hope to see some of you soon!

    Reply
  3. Christie Whitcomb Avatar
    Christie Whitcomb

    Sorry to miss the reunion but thanks for the pictures! It’s amazing to see how people look much the same as they did 20 years ago. Kudos on aging well, classmates!

    I am living in Brookline, MA and working in Boston. I’m very active doing volunteer work with the Junior League and am about to join the Vincent Club (a group supporting the work of the Vincent Memorial Hospital at Mass General). I am very much enjoying being an Auntie to my 2 adorable nephews who live in Southern NH. Planning a possible trip to Ireland in the fall, and just generally enjoying life! I see Margaret Fowle fairly often, as she is married to the son of very close friends of my family. It’s been fun getting to re-connect with her. Have been playing email tag with Nobel Bellosillo as well, and owe him a phone call so we can do lunch in Boston.

    I hope everyone is thriving, and I’ll look forward to reading of your doings.

    All the best,
    Christie Whitcomb

    Reply
  4. Mimi and Mike McFadden Avatar
    Mimi and Mike McFadden

    Basic statistics:
    height = same as the last time you saw us.
    weight = not the same as the last time you saw us.
    income = holding down the jobs
    outcome = Ledyard age 6, Margaret age 4, Jack age 2
    current domicile = strewn with plastic toys, crayons, and sippy cups
    hobbies = picking up plastic toys, crayons, and sippy cups strewn about current domicile.
    philosophy = “Keep it simple”

    Sorry we missed you all at the reunion.
    See you at the 50th.
    Mimi and Mike

    Reply
  5. Nobel Bellosillo Avatar
    Nobel Bellosillo

    It was during a dress rehearsal of West Side Story at the Yale Dramat when I came to the profound realization that I was surrounded by such enormous talent and that it would be exponentially easier for me to pursue a career in medicine instead. So fifteen years later, I’m now now gainfully employed at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston and on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, specializing in HIV and Travel Medicine. My life partner Jim and I have been contemplating getting married (now that it’s temporarily? legal in MA) but in the meantime we’ve spent the last nine years together either domesticating in Dedham with our neurotic Jack Russell terrier Pulitzer or traveling the world in search of the next big musical and the perfect sunset.
    Adding my name to the long list of thankers to Ian for all the work in keeping our class alive; have enjoyed seeing everyone grow through the various reunions.

    Reply
  6. John Baylor Avatar
    John Baylor

    Bayles is calling his fourth summer of minor league baseball and eleventh season of Husker Volleyball in 2004. Sadly he is not paid by the syllable. He also enjoys running his test prep company, Baylor Test Prep. All of this takes place at his tropical childhood home of Lincoln, Nebraska. Meanwhile, his wife Susan and he live a life void of dull moments due to their two young daughters, Chloe and Antonia. All Middlesex classmates traversing the country on I-80 are urged to exploit the offer of free lodging at his place. Here’s to many more reunions before the 25th in ’09.

    Reply
  7. iankennedy Avatar
    iankennedy

    Here’s the summary I’m sending off to Middlesex. Thanks to everyone who posted or wrote in!

    After dropping out of sight due to a 10 year stint in Tokyo, the Alumni Office reconnected and gently suggested I do my bit and collect remarks for the bulletin. Besides badgering classmates for personal details, I work for Factiva, an online news aggregator, and live with my wife Izumi and children Tyler (5) and Julia (2) a few miles to the west of Princeton, NJ in a town surrounded by farmland with one traffic signal that goes blinking yellow at 10 PM.It was wonderful to see those of you that made it to the 20th reunion. It was a beautiful New England Spring day where the sky is more blue, and the grass more green than you remember and it was great be in the company of old friends. To those that didn’t make it, let’s just say we enjoyed sharing your past and pondering your future. Notes from others that have written in are collected below – if you want in on the next cycle, I can be reached at: [you know where].Scott Kitson has taken over as President and CEO of the family insurance and real estate business in Bermuda. He and his wife, Susan, are celebrating 10 years of marriage with children Matthew (8), Quincy (6), and James (3). Christie Whitcomb is living in Brookline and an active volunteer for the Junior League and Vincent Club which is affiliated with Mass General. She is looking forward to a possible trip to Ireland in the fall. Margaret Fowle is living in Huntington, VT with her husband Breck and their 19 month-old daughter, Ada. She works part time as a wildlife biologist for the National Wildlife Federation as the, “Peregrine Falcon & Eagle person.” Sanjay Bhardwaj writes from sunny San Francisco where he has been a Product Manager for Cisco for 11 years. When he’s not cruising the ‘hood in his minivan with his wife Aparna and two boys Anikait (3) and Nikash (1), he’s out cycling and playing pick up basketball. Mike & Mimi (Freund) McFadden are busy with Schoolworks, their consulting business. Three children, Ledyard (6), Margaret (4), and Jack (2), liberally decorate their Beverley, MA home with “plastic toys, crayons, and sippy cups.” Nobel Bellosillo realized at Yale that the path of least resistance was not to master the art of drama but a career in medicine. He now works with the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston and is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. He and his partner of 9 years, Jim, are contemplating getting married now that it is legally recognized in Massachusetts. Andrew Hoffman is currently living in San Francisco in the Presidio, a former military post that is now a national park. He recently accepted a position at Tibco Software and is now responsible for marketing the company’s portal solution. Andrew encourages Middlesex alumni to look him up, particularly those who own sailboats or are interested in buying portal software. Jody Holden is working for Citigroup in NYC. She and her husband Chris Norman, a professional flute player, are expecting their first child in November. John Baylor is calling his fourth summer of minor league baseball and eleventh season of Husker Volleyball in 2004. Sadly he is not paid by the syllable. He also enjoys running his company, Baylor Test Prep at his tropical childhood home of Lincoln, NE. Meanwhile, his wife Susan and he live a life void of dull moments due to their two young daughters, Chloe and Antonia. All Middlesex classmates traversing the country on I-80 are urged to exploit the offer of free lodging at his place. Nelson Hayden joined the neighborhood glee club.

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