ALUMNI

Class Notes

1961

Charles Kull (BS Marketing) writes from Evansville, Indiana, where he recently became a professional pharmaceutical sales representative for Professional Detailing, a contract medical sales company headquartered in New Jersey. A few years ago, Charles lost Carolyn, his wife of twenty years, whom he met while he was a student and she an employee at Commerce. Recently he remarried, and he and his new wife Barbara have seven children and eight grandchildren between them.

1964

Donald L. Meier (MAS, BS Finance '63) has been elected senior vice president of the Sara Lee Corporation. The announcement came in late October. Meier joined Sara Lee's tax department in 1980, and was named vice president of taxes in 1988.

1966

Leslie "Cap" Dean (MA Economics, BA LAS '63) writes that he retired last year from his post as deputy assistant administrator for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development. He had served USAID for twenty-seven years, including twenty-one years overseas in Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania, Zambia, and South Africa. He rates his four years in South Africa as his most memorable assignment, since "I was fortunate to serve there as USAID mission director during the exciting years immediately prior to and after the transition from apartheid to a democratic government." Leslie has gone to work for the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help in Phoenix, Arizona, and is involved in such development programs as Teachers for Africa and International Fellows. He is also working on a major new program on HIV/AIDS, which will be launched in 2000.

1968

Gordon Greene (BS Finance) writes from Navarre, Ohio, where he is a broker for Dutton Auction & Realty Co. The company recently conducted an auction in which Middle Island, located on Lake Erie in the Canadian province of Ontario, was sold to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The transaction is believed to be the first successful sale of a foreign real estate asset by open outcry auction in the United States.

1969

Howard Bradley (BS Finance) recently retired as a manager from Ford Motor Company, after thirty years of service. He spent fifteen years in product development finance for the company, then moved on to a variety of other assignments, including business and product planning. He served as general manager of corporate photography and microfilm, and held staff assignments dealing with international labor relations and risk avoidance. At the time of his retirement, he was manager of the Powertrain Business Development Office. Howard, who is presently working as a consultant, says he's looking forward to 2001 when he "will relocate from Michigan to sunny Palm Springs, California."

1970

In October, Bentley Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Michael McGovern (MAS, BS Accountancy '69, JD '72) as company vice chairman. Michael, who lives in Atlanta, has been a member of Bentley's board of directors since 1997. He is president of McGovern Enterprises, a provider of corporate and financial consulting services, which he founded in 1975. Chairman of the board of directors of Specialty Surgicenters, Inc., he also sits on the boards of several other companies.

 

For the first time in fifty-seven years, Commerce classmates William A. Barr (BS Commerce Curriculum '45) and James F. Goodman (BS Commerce Curriculum '44) enjoyed a reunion in Houston, Texas, in July. Goodman's firm, LARKSDALE, is the publisher of Barr's new book, merrily titled Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! A Navy pilot in World War II, Barr went on to earn degrees in economics and English literature from Lawrence College. From 1949 to 1985, he worked in the mechanical power transmission equipment industry, holding management and executive positions with companies in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati. Since his retirement, Barr has taken up writing. His work has appeared in various publications, and he has been the recipient of several Writer's Digest awards. Written as a trilogy, his new book is a potpourri of facts and lore about Christmas as holiday, historic day, and holy day. Barr is a native of Aurora, Illinois, and now makes his home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fellow alumni William Barr (left) and  James Goodman — together in Houston, 57 years on. A native of Champaign, Goodman was a member of ROTC while at Illinois, and went on to serve in World War II. He was an infantry lieutenant in General Patton's 3rd Army when it crossed the Saar River in Germany to meet the Russians in April 1945. After the war, he earned a JD from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Texas. A member of the faculty at Baylor University from 1948 to 1955, he also practiced civil law with Goodman, Nielsen and Pakis in Waco, Texas, from 1959 to 1962. He is the founder of LARKSDALE, which is located in Houston.

1972

Steven Kaplan (BS Commerce Curriculum) has been named chief operating officer of Grubb & Ellis, a Northbrook company that is one of the nation's largest commercial real estate services firms. Steven has been named to the post in conjunction with the Grubb & Ellis acquisition of Landauer, a leading international real estate consulting firm, which he has served as president, CEO, and board member.

David Wilson (PhD Accountancy) has been named to the new Advisory Board for 1GlobalCity.Com in Largo, Florida. David is president and CEO of the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), and has worked as managing partner and national director of professional development for Ernst & Young. A widely published author and well known speaker, he has consulted with 1GlobalCity.Com on a variety of issues. The company is planning the launch of an innovative Web site early next year.

1973

In August, Mark Hogan (BS Business Administration) was named head of General Motors Corporation's new Internet unit. He had previously held the post of vice president and GMAC general manager of operations, NAO Small Car Group. News of his appointment appeared in the national media, including USA Today and Reuters news service. The latter observed that the new Internet unit is expected to "bring together the No. 1 automaker's existing online business operations to better take advantage of the booming area of electronic commerce." In May, Mark spoke at Commerce Undergraduate Convocation, telling the graduating seniors that "the values we carry with us are critical to how we ultimately measure success."

Mike Ullman (MBA) joined Burrill & Company in July, as director of business development. Previously he held executive posts with Biovector Therapeutics and Liposome Technology. Burrill & Company is a San Francisco-based private merchant bank focused exclusively on life science companies.

1974

J. Richard Connelly (BS Accountancy) has written to say that he is chief financial officer for JusticeLink, Inc., an Internet electronic filing service for courts and attorneys, located in Dallas, Texas. Richard lives in Fairview, Texas. The appointment became effective in September of 1998.

In July, Mike Mathieson (BS Accountancy) was named vice president, controller for Fortune Brands, which also appointed him chief accounting officer, effective at the end of the year. Mike joined the consumer products company, located in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, as corporate controller in July 1998. He came to the company from Avon Products, Inc., where he had served as vice president and corporate controller. He previously held positions in accounting and financial reporting with Chase Manhattan Bank and Paine Webber, and started his career with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. He, his wife, Nancy, and their two sons have relocated to Lake Forest, Illinois.

Donald Morgan (MS Finance) recently joined Larscom Incorporated as vice president of finance and chief financial officer. He had previously served as vice president finance and administration for General Signal Networks Corporation, and also had a long career with Unisys, where he held several senior management roles. Located in Milpitas, California, Larscom is a leading provider of high-speed area network access equipment.

1976

In November, Virginia Wilson (MAS, BS) joined MetLife as senior vice president and corporate controller. She had previously held a similar position with Transamerica Life Companies, and has also worked as an audit partner for Deloitte & Touche. MetLife is headquartered in New York, where it has been in business since 1868.

1977

An e-mail from Philip J. Lester II (BS Finance) indicates that in May he became vice president for Citibank. Philip, who lives in Mokena, Illinois, also graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University last year.

In July, Neoforma.com, announced the appointment of Frederick Ruegsegger (BS Economics) as chief financial officer. The company, a leader in business-to-business e-commerce for the health care industry, is located in Santa Clara, California. Frederick has more than eighteen years of executive experience in financial and general management for health care companies, most recently with Axys Pharmaceuticals.

 1978

At the end of September, Tultex Corporation announced the promotion of John Box (BS Accountancy) as marketing director. John had previously served as vice president, marketing, for Track Gear, a motor sports apparel subsidiary of Tultex, which is located in Martinsville, Virginia.

 

Also in September, Mark Sellner (BS Accountancy) rejoined the Minneapolis office of KPMG, LLP, in September as a corporate tax partner. The move follows his completion of a two-year assignment as partner-in-charge of tax training at the firm's headquarters in Montvale, New Jersey. Mark will also serve as a professor of corporate taxation and mergers and acquisitions in the graduate tax program at the University of Minnesota.

1979

On July 3, George Havel (BS Accountancy) and Lesli Drawert were married in South Bend, Indiana. Present at the wedding were several Illinois alums, including Mark Zalatoris (AB LAS Finance '79, MS Accountancy '81), Jeffrey Price (AB LAS Economics '78), and Paul Wieck (AB LAS '78). George and Lesli live in Chicago, where he is a vice president - asset manger in the Business Services Division of Citigroup.

In July, the AMSTED Industries Board of Directors elected Matthew Hower (BS Accountancy) to the post of treasurer. A nineteen-year veteran of the company, he had previously served as controller for AMSTED's Griffin Wheel Company division.

 

Mary Kay Haben, Kraft Supermom It's as plain as — well, as the two basketball hoops in her office. Being both a mom and a top executive isn't always easy to pull off.  But new BAC member Mary Kay Haben (BS Business Administration '77) has met and mastered that challenge. And she's done it so effectively that a couple of years ago she won the title (informally bestowed by North Shore magazine) of "Kraft Supermom." Mary Kay Haben, who has been with Kraft for her entire career, joined the corporation in 1979 as a marketing research analyst in the Cheese Division. Today she is president of that division. She also holds the title of company executive vice president, and serves as a member of its Operating Committee. As the executive responsible for a roster of brands that includes Kraft, Philadelphia Brand, Velveeta, Cheese Whiz, Cracker Barrel, Athenos, Churny, Breakstone's, Knudsen, and Polly-O, she has (she says) informally been crowned "Queen of Cheese" and "Dairy Queen" — titles that seem to blend in pretty smoothly with "Kraft Supermom." Her singular success, in combining the responsibilities of motherhood and the demands of a high-powered executive career, has come through a lot of thought and planning — and also thanks to her spouse. In 1996, when Mary Kay became president of the Kraft Pizza Division, her husband, Ed Haben (BS Finance '77) announced that he was retiring from a top post with the U.S. Treasury to stay at home with their sons Michael, now 11, and Jack, 7. And while he has taken over ferrying them to soccer games and helping with homework, she has become an ace Mommy-networker. With the help of colleagues, she has created an informal e-mail parenting organization in which many Kraft employees now participate. The corporation has also been working in other ways to become "family friendly," such as developing flex-time and part-time programs for employees with kids. And not to forget the hoops. Mary Kay first turned her office into a de-facto basketball court a few years back (and also installed a VCR and a library of movies) so that the boys could divert themselves when they dropped by. Such casual visits are possible because her Glenview office is just across the street from the Haben family home. But even such efficiency about family life doesn't tend to leave her with a whole lot of extra time. She has served in executive positions throughout the company, in the Cheese and Pizza Divisions, Specialty Products, the confection businesses Jacobs Suchard and Callard and Bowser, and the Enhancers Division. Her current responsibilities as executive vice president include oversight of the Foodservice and Pizza Divisions, and company organizations dealing with sales and customer service, information services, marketing services, and technology. Her efforts have won recognition not only within Kraft, but from publications such as Advertising Age, which named her one of "100 Best and Brightest Women in Advertising" in 1996. She chairs the Board of Governors for the University of Michigan Business School — where she earned an MBA in marketing in 1979 — and also serves on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement. Her total dedication to the company and its products has an endearing way of spilling into her personal life. She has been known to rummage around in the refrigerators of family and friends, to see if they buy Kraft. She once told the Chicago Tribune a story about her wedding day. "I was the brand manager on Philly. Not only did we have a cheesecake wedding cake, but we had a big sign next to the cake that said, `On the biggest day of your life, isn't it silly not to use Philly?'" And that dedication extends to her alma mater. "This was where I got my start," she said at the recent BAC meeting. "I have a lot of pride and loyalty in the University of Illinois. I wouldn't be where I am today without the education I received at Commerce. Now I'd like to have some sort of impact on the college that did so much for me."

1980

In an a e-mail, Mary Ellen Berger, née Augustine (BS Business Administration), says that she has joined Carlson Companies as a product manager - CSS Technology. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Carlson is one of the largest privately held corporations in the United States, with a portfolio of brands that includes Radisson Hotels and TGI Friday's. Mary and her husband Steve live in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

On November 10, Sara Lee Corporation announced the appointment of Cary D. McMillan (BS Accountancy) to the position of chief financial and administrative officer. It is anticipated that he will be named an executive vice president of the company and elected to the board
of directors at the next regularly scheduled board meeting. Cary was formerly with Arthur Andersen, which he joined in 1980, becoming a partner in 1992. He took charge of the Chicago audit practice in 1997, and was named managing partner of Arthur Andersen's Chicago office in 1998. "We are very pleased to welcome an executive with Cary McMillan's extensive financial background and expertise to Sara Lee Corporation. Our senior management team has been significantly strengthened through his appointment," said John Bryan, chairman of the board and CEO for Sara Lee. Cary is a member of the Commerce Business Advisory Council, to which he has belonged since 1997.

Internet Capital Group, a leading business-to-business e-commerce company, announced in July the appointment of Peter Solvik (BS Business Administration) to its board of directors. Peter, who is senior vice president and chief information officer for Cisco Systems, has served since August 1996 on Internet Capital Group's advisory board. Also recently named to the board of advisors of Akamai Technologies (see InSight, Summer 1999), he is a recognized leader in information technology and e-commerce, credited for the $12 billion Cisco's worldwide use of information technology, including breakthrough Internet customer service and electronic commerce applications. Peter was named to the "CIO 100" by CIO Magazine in 1997 and 1998, and has also been named among the "50 People Who Make a Difference in Enterprise Networking" by Network World and one of the "25 Unsung Heroes of the Internet" by Inter@ctive Week.

Another Homecoming, another successful Tent Party — thanks to fine weather and fresh enthusiasm about the Fighting Illini. Question: How many of your former professors can you identify in this photo?

1981

Ralph Bornhoeft (MAS) writes: "My wife Jane and I proudly announce the birth of our first child, a daughter, Wendy Mae, on July 31, 1999." The family lives in Green Oaks, Illinois. Congratulations!

In November, Eastman Chemical Company announced the restructuring of its financial organization and the appointment of Mark Joslin (BS Accountancy) as vice president, finance. Mark was previously chief financial officer, treasurer and secretary of Lawter International, which Eastman acquired as a wholly-owned subsidiary earlier this year. He has also worked for Arthur Andersen, LLP, and Baxter International, and ANGUS Chemical. Headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, Eastman manufactures and markets plastics, chemicals,
and fibers.

1982

Emily Chien (MAS, BS Accountancy '81) lives and works in New York, where she is vice president, global rewards management, for American Express. In this position, she writes, she is "spearheading new interactive initiatives that expand the current, ever-growing `offline' rewards." Emily had previously worked for Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Price Waterhouse. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters.

John McNamara (MBA) has been named vice president and general manager for the new USF eLogistics unit of USFreightways. USF eLogistics is equipped to offer supply chain solutions for online retailers and manufacturers. USFreightways provides transportation, distribution, and logistics services both nationally and internationally.

1983

Mark Alder (BS Accountancy) writes that he was recently promoted to director of marketing at Moen. He had previously served as group manager of new businesses for the company, located in North Olmsted, Ohio. Mark lives in Broadview Heights.

Larry Fox (BS Accountancy) has been named director, strategic planning and acquisitions, for GKN Sinter Metals, located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The appointment was announced in November 1998.

1985

WORTH Magazine has named Chris Wheaton (BS Accountancy) to its annual list of "America's Top 250 Financial Advisers." The list appeared in the September 1999 issue of the magazine and is posted at www.worth.com. Chris is a portfolio manager for Litman/Gregory & Company, LLC, in Larkspur, California. He joined the firm in 1997, having previously spent twelve years with Arthur Andersen.

1986

Timothy William Casey (BS Accountancy) and his wife Peggy Sue Snyder Casey (FAA '87) have announced the birth of their fourth child, Jennifer Elise, who joins brothers Michael and Benjamin and sister Allison at home in Westmont, Illinois. Timothy is a portfolio controller for Jones Lang Lasalle: Peggy Sue is a music teacher and consultant.

Tribune Interactive, Tribune Company's newly formed business group, announced in July the appointment of Brigid Kenney (BS Accountancy) as vice president/finance. She had previously served as assistant treasurer for Tribune Company.

1987

In August, Joel Crosley (BS Business Administration) became media sales manager for Intelligent Information Inc., a wireless telecommunications company in Stamford, Connecticut. He writes: "Access to the Web on your mobile phone is a hot business and III is positioned to bring together content, mobility, e-commerce, and consumers. Very cool stuff." He adds: "I am the very very very proud father of triplets (plus a three-year old)!!" The triplets, a boy and two girls, were born on December 11, 1998. Concludes Joel: "My wife and I are tired but feel very blessed!"

1988

A note from Carrie Meyer (PhD Economics) includes a notice of her second book, The Economics and Politics of NGOs in Latin America. Released by Praeger Publishers, the book has drawn enthusiastic praise for its analysis of the effect of the international aid system on Latin America. Carrie is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She lives in Rockville, Maryland.

Nate Suddeth (BS Accountancy) writes that, on May 30, 1999, he was admitted to partnership with Deloitte & Touche in St. Louis. He has worked for the firm since 1988, and his functional specializations include mergers and acquisitions, international accounting, and auditing. A member of the St. Louis Accountancy Committee and the David Kinley Society, Nate lives in Valley Park, Missouri.

1990

On October 1, Corporate Office Properties Trust announced the appointment of Sara Grootwassink (BS Finance) as vice president, finance and investor relations. Formerly an equity analyst for Johnston, Lemon & Company, Sara has also worked for Riggs Bank and Grand-Premier National Bank.  Corporate Office Properties Trust is located in Columbia, Maryland.

 

When it comes to entrepreneurship, Billy Adkisson (EMBA `93) knows what he's talking about. Billy Adkisson and Courtney Price

Having successfully launched eight different companies, Adkisson and his wife Ellen Bourne have gone to work on their ninth venture, Health Care Transitions. Based in Adkisson's hometown of Bloomington, the company provides entrepreneurship training to physicians, medical groups, hospitals, professional associations, and others who may find themselves involved in developing business plans for new medical products and ventures. Adkisson connected with this opportunity through fellow BAC member Courtney Price. Chairman and founder of the Denver-based Premier Entrepreneur Programs, Price has developed FastTrac, an educational series on entrepreneurship which has achieved national recognition. As well as offering training through their licensing arrangement with Premier Entrepreneur Programs, Billy and Ellen will be teaching corporate entrepreneurship in the Illinois MBA program this spring. Former president of the EMBA Alumni Board (an office he held for three years), Billy says of the program "The EMBA was probably the greatest thing I ever did for my career."

1992

Gregory Schreacke (BS Accountancy) has been named vice president and controller for Team Financial, a multi-bank holding company in Paola, Kansas. Previously, he has held executive positions with Federal Savings & Loan Association in Hemet, California, and Mercantile Trust & Savings Bank in Quincy, Illinois.

Thomas Malkin (BS Accountancy, AB LAS) writes that he has begun work in the Master of Liberal Arts program at University of Chicago. Thomas lives in Chicago and works in Rosemont, where he serves as regional manager for the American Movie Classics cable television channel.

1994

Joan Friedrich (MBA, AB LAS '92) was named marketing manager for Dean Foods, in June. She writes that her responsibilities include brand management activities for Dean's ice cream and milk products, including "the groundbreaking Dean's Milk Chugs line."

1997

Scott Volling (BS Finance) sends an e-mail to say that, after working for Andersen Consulting in Atlanta, he now works in the firm's Northbrook office. He and his wife Beth live in Lakemoor, Illinois. They were married last November, and present at the wedding celebration were several Illinois alumni, including Owen Bailitz (BS Accountancy '99), Jeff Bond (AB Economics '98), Brent Burris (BS Finance '99), and Christina Burian (AB Economics '97).

1999

Last summer Michael Moleski (BS Finance) joined Rabjohns Financial Group, a Chicago firm that is affiliated with Boston-based New England Financial. A registered representative of New England Securities Corporation, Mike lives in Clarendon Hills, Illinois.

www.cba.uiuc.edu/alumni Visit our home page for information about Commerce Alumni  Association activities.

A time for appreciation — Dean Thomas at the 1999  Spring Luncheon with award-winning alumni Larry  Austermiller (left) and Leonard Hoeft. Join us for the FORTIETH ANNUAL  SPRING LUNCHEON April 7, 2000 Palmer House Hilton,  Chicago

Old friends, football, and superb Indian summer weather drew many alumni back to campus for Reunion Weekend, October 29-31. Among the most venerable: George Heideman, Commerce Class of 1934. George (left) is shown with his friend Frank Miller, a fellow resident of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and graduate of Penn State, whose football team took on the Fighting Illini that weekend.