USAFA Class Heritage Class of 1963

35th Reunion (1998): Thirty-five years: a hell of a lot to cover in 500 words. The first year after graduation probably set the tone for the rest. It began with marriage the day after graduation, then procurement school, assignment to Homestead AFB, FL, a quick transfer to Bolling AFB, a part-time job selling mutual funds, Georgetown Law School, and celebrating the birth of my first daughter, Rachael. A typical day was going to work at the Base, changing to civies at lunch for a mutual fund sales presentation, back to work, 3 hours of law school after work, and then home to make telephone calls for a sales presentation the next day. A busy, fun-filled time. By 1970, I had resigned, formed my own law firm, and also started a number of additional businesses including stock brokerage and real estate development. In 1975, I was divorced and remarried. In 1976, my life took a dramatic positive turn in both family and business. I adopted my second wife’s three children and created a solid family while at the same time expanding my business interests. The next five years were a wild and crazy period of tax shelters, oil and gas deals, real estate developments and (craziest of all) a professional sports team. In 1980, I finally figured out that practicing law and running several businesses at the same time was not the best way to succeed at either, so I moved my offices to Wall Street and began seriously concentrating on the real estate development. Nevertheless, true to form, I set up additional businesses in telephone legal services, Indonesian oil exports, and commodities investments. I discovered that commodities futures trading had the excitement and profit potential I was always looking for, and I spent several years making and then losing significant amounts of money. I like to say I broke even. From 1985 to 90, I expanded the real estate development business, consolidated my outside business interests and brought my two sons into the business. In 1987, a cruise to Mexico changed my life. Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas, a small city on the tip of the Baja peninsula. It looked to me like the perfect place to start a major real estate development, and within a year we purchased a parcel for the development of a golf course resort. By 1990, our family, including three of my adult children, moved to Cabo to devote our full energy to the development of the resort. The ensuing seven years were a roller coaster. The business was very successful, but for the first time, illness hit hard, and my wife, Terry, was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma. A long period of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant saved her life. On the high side, three of my four children were married, and I have three beautiful grandchildren. We sold the resort in 1993, and I tried retirement, but discovered I prefer business. In 1995 we bought back part of the resort and are now building a 200-unit time-share hotel and operating the golf course. It’s been an exciting 35 years. Marriage, divorce, law, multiple businesses from Wall Street to Cabo San Lucas, remarriage, adoptions, weddings, births, deadly illnesses, and survival. I think that’s what life is all about. I hope the next 35 are as much fun.