Tell us about what you're doing with your life
I was in the Navy after Cornell via NROTC and then went back to Cornell for my MBA. From there I went into Marketing and later General Management at Procter & Gamble, Mead Johnson Nutrition and then a little startup called Evolve BioSystems — all of this in healthcare and infant nutrition. In January of 2022, after nearly thirty years in this business I retired and am still planning the next chapter.
What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found most useful?
Although I was a US History and Government double major, I took Elizabeth Dotson's History of the Renaissance Art History course — probably (unfortunately) because it was easy. Beyond really enjoying it and later getting much more out of trips to Italy when I lived in Germany, I found that I really drew on it when I was a marketer at P&G in evaluating print and television advertising. It gave me better vocabulary for critiquing the advertising agencies' work.
What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
My time in the fraternity with my brothers (one of them my actual brother) -- both the camaraderie and the silly politics.
Which Cornell classmates do you keep in touch with?
I am still in touch with a number of Cornellians from my brother's class 1982 class and that of my wife, Nancy Brown (Ag '85, PhD '94). Contacts from 1984 include Ethan Emma, Geoff Potter, Terri Port and Christine Miller.
How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
It has influenced me in more ways than I can describe or perhaps even realize. Not only do I have two brother's who attended, my wife's family are all Big Red grads. In fact, there are 15 degrees between our two immediate families. My father-in-law was lifetime Council and the only person to win both the Salmon and Rhodes Awards. Our daughter is a 2018 CALS grad. Perhaps the best sign of its influence is the novel I wrote, A Bolt from the Blue, which is set at Cornell.
What random or surprising encounters with Cornell or Cornellians have you experienced since you left?
As described above, Cornell has played a big part in my life. As a family we enjoyed CAU, including an amazing safari in Africa when our kids were 11 and 13. We hadn't exactly groomed our kids to want to attend Cornell, but were so pleased when our daughter got in and later graduated. On my first naval tour aboard the USS THORN, Cam Fish '82 was my roommate.
If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
I think I would have taken better advantage of the access it allowed to some really amazing professors — true titans in their field.
What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2024?
Seeing old friends I haven't talked to since graduation.