After graduating from GDA, I attended Bowdoin College, joining classmates Cy Hoover and John Tarbell, as well as '60 GDA graduate Don Alexander, who managed the track team. Bowdoin activities included soccer and track. I may have been in the library a few times, but only when necessary. Nevertheless, I managed to do OK.

From Bowdoin, I went to Harvard Business School. At the time, it seemed a reasonable alternative to Vietnam. In retrospect, it still does.

Losing my draft deferment in 1968, I dropped out and joined the Air National Guard. After 4 months of active duty, I returned to HBS, graduating in 1969.

In 1969 I joined New England Merchants National Bank (subsequently renamed Bank of New England), which became one of the country's most notable bank failures. The failure happened well after I left to join Pharmasol Corporation (a manufacturing firm) for a short time as controller.

In 1977, I joined Shawmut County Bank, a community bank subsidiary of Shawmut Corporation, as Senior Credit Officer. Shawmut was acquired by Hartford National, then Fleet. Somehow, I have been able to convince the new owners that I have something to offer, and they have kept me on. I am now Senior Risk Manager for Fleet's Small Business Services Group, which services some 300,000 small business customers throughout the Northeast US. My job is to represent Risk Management which is a Corporate level department organized to help business units deal with risk - credit risk, operational risk, market risk, reputation risk, etc. It is a constantly challenging, intellectually demanding job that uses every bit of the conceptual, technical, interpersonal, and presentation skills that I ever learned (thank you, many GDA masters, including Arthur Sager).

Joan Lobdell and I married in 1968, with John Tarbell serving admirably as best man. We have two wonderful children. Amanda (29) is an account manager with Philip Johnson Agency, a small ad agency in Cambridge, MA. John (24) is a network engineer with Fidelity Investments in Boston.

Joan and I are fortunate that the kids are close by and enjoy doing some of the same things that we do. We see them a fair amount, considering that they are now adults and independent. We are blessed.

Personal interests include soccer (I play in a league for men over 50), skiing, hiking, bicycling, and carpentry.

I look forward to seeing all my GDA friends. It's been a long time - something like 40 years, if I remember correctly.

Hi Bob,

I have registered and plan on coming to the reunion. I don't recognize the number you tried. My phone is (781) 729-2874. I live in Winchester, MA, and have been in the same home for 32 years.

My lovely and wonderful wife, Joan, and I have 2 children: Amanda (29), who is an account manager at Philip Johnson Associates (an ad agency) in Cambridge, and John (24) who is a network engineer with Fidelity Investments in Boston. We couldn't be happier with the way the kids have grown up, and count ourselves fortunate beyond measure. The secret was Joan made the rules, and I supported her (according to the kids).

You might be interested to know that my family has a farmhouse at 510 Miller Road in Union ("Crawford Lake Farm"). Miller Road is the right turn immediately after Mic Mac Market off Rt. 17, going east. I spend most summer vacations there, not far from where you live.

If I remember correctly, I was the treasurer of the Spanish Club. I too don't remember what we did, but I don't think it was much.

My job keeps me pretty busy, but I hope to work on my biography before the reunion. In any event, I look forward to seeing you there.

Regards,

Ray