Friends, it was good to see many of you at the reunion this past weekend. I regret not being able to connect personally with more of you! Because of that, here is a brief overview of the last 50 years:
Linda (nee Larson, WHS ’67) and I have enjoyed 47 years of marriage. Graduating from Wheaton (BS ’72), Purdue (MSIA ’73) and Indiana University School of Medicine (MHA ’76) we have lived in all of the “I” states during my career in healthcare management. I worked in hospitals in Indiana, Idaho, and Iowa; and then in physician practice management and multi-site, multi-state ambulatory services in Indiana and finally Tennessee. I enjoyed stints in both not for profit and for profit organizations including those that are publicly traded. I was involved in growing three start up organizations, and now, while essentially retired, am still consulting with an urgent care center roll-up company. God blessed us with three children, Megan, who lives with her husband and four children in Indianapolis; Andrew, who is currently in Houston; and Bronwyn, who lives with her husband and two children in Annandale, VA, part of the DC metroplex. Linda is an RN and is now working in a volunteer capacity at two faith based clinics in Nashville. We enjoy grand parenting and the opportunity to travel, both in the US and abroad. Both of our mothers (93 and 92 and living independently) and siblings live in the Twin Cities, so we get back several times a year for brief visits.
I remember tumultuous times in ’68 and following. Several of us marched for racial equity in Minneapolis in the fall of ’67, resulting in school suspensions; the Democratic convention in Chicago in August of ’68 (Wheaton is a suburb of Chicago, so that was close by); the draft / lottery and debacle of the Vietnam war; and the rampant inflation and economic turmoil of the late 70’s and early 80’s. I look back at my time at WHS as formative - playing hockey, tennis, and participating in band; academics that included practical life skills (personal finance in Social Studies, typing foreseeing PCs and smart phones); and opportunities to develop interpersonal / organizational skills. As at that time WHS was the small kid in the Lake Conference, we also had the opportunity to learn to lose gracefully! I was able to continue to play hockey in College (DIII)
and then again (technically Senior A) in Boise. One morning I woke up
realizing I had three kids, a professional job, and I was playing with
college students and recent graduates “between” jobs against town teams from
Alberta and British Columbia that included former and wannabe NHL players,
and realized that “someone could get hurt” and that someone would likely be
me! I continued to play tennis, including a time with my son until he found
that I was no longer competitive, and now enjoy riding my road bicycle and
stretching with hot yoga. We continue to be active in our church and its
ministries both locally and abroad. If you are traveling from the Cities to
Florida down I 65, give us a call and let us try to connect for coffee. We
are relatively close to the Interstate. Again, all the best to you. It was
good to connect at the reunion!
