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Reunion 2009
For All Classes Ending in 4s and 9s: 1969, '74, '79, '84, '89, '94, '99, '04, and 2009
Note: The 2010 Reunion for all classes ending in 0s and 5s (from 1970 to 2010) is currently being planned. If you are interested in representing your class to help in the planning, please contact the Merage School Alumni Relation Office at meragealum@merage.uci.edu or 949.824.7167.
Merageville Reunion 2009
A wonderful time was had by all!
Alumnus Dr. Michael Harrington (PhD 1973) was on hand to talk about the earliest days
of UC Irvine's business school. Read his reflections here.
Thanks to Our Very Special Volunteers
Event Chair, Lisa Locklear, (MBA 1984)
Reunion Committee: Steve Acterman (EMBA 1999)
Angels Baseball Game Co-Chairs: Kevin Bixby (MBA 1989) and Glenn Kauffman (FEMBA 1994)
Memories Committee Chair: David Ochi (MBA 1989)
Communications: Diane Sagey (FEMBA 1999)
Generous Sponsors and Underwriters of Merageville 2009 Reunion!
- The Dean's Leadership Circle
- Gabe Maxwell (FEMBA 2004)
- Johnny Mosham and Lettuce Cater to You
Merageville Reunion 2009 - Saturday, September 12, 2009
UC Irvine’s Merage School alumni from classes ending in 4s and 9s (1969 to 2009) returned to campus and reunited with former classmates and the Merage School family at a festive party called Merageville. Dean Andy Policano welcomed the guests and was joined several Merage School professors including Imran Currim, Thomas Eppel, Robin Keller, Richard McKenzie, Lyman Porter, Judy Rosener, and Margarethe Wiersema.
Lisa Locklear (MBA ’84) did a wonderful job as Merageville volunteer chair, and offered thoughts on the value of her MBA, “Much of the value you get from an MBA education is the network of peers and contacts you develop during your program. The Merage School is like an extended family that you grow with and come to rely upon throughout your career and your personal life for that matter.” Lisa is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for North America at Ingram Micro. Lisa and her husband, Mark Locklear (also MBA ’84), met on the first day of the MBA program back in 1982 and have been together ever since. Lisa and Mark have two sons, Kevin and Matthew.
David Ochi (MBA ’04) served as “Memory Lane” chair, encouraging the guests to recount some of their favorite memories from their business school days. David is co-founder and partner in a company called Idea Labs LLC, an international management consulting company, which focuses on assisting early stage companies with strategic management guidance.
Mike Harrington (PhD 1973) inspired the guests by sharing some of his fondest memories from UCI during the years 1967 – 1972. Mike is Principal, Information Technology Economist for The Economic and Decision Analysis Center at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia. Visit the reunion website (merage.uci.edu/go/reunion) to read more of Mike’s reflections from those early days.
This year’s reunion boasted an attendance gain of more that 50% over last year. More than 150 alumni and guests enjoyed the tropical atmosphere donning leis and their finest island resort ware. The patio outside the Merage School of Business was transformed by tiki huts, pineapples, and a coastal sunset backdrop while enjoying live Calypso music. The dazzling Jill Jacobs Forbath (MBA 1984) and Torin Finney were recognized for being the “best dressed” couple on-hand, demonstrating that even MBAs know how to have fun and get into the spirit of Merageville!
Alumni Director Maureen McAndrews recognized alumni that traveled the greatest distances to attend the reunion, including Mike Harrington (PhD 1973) from Virginia, Bob Moschorak (FEMBA 1994) from Chicago, and Catherine Zhou (FEMBA 2004) from China.
On Sunday, September 13, a number of Merage Alumni continued the celebration by attending the “Baseball Family Day” at Anaheim Stadium. The group enjoyed a pre-game “tailgate” barbecue (courtesy of everyone’s “favorite caterer” Johnny Mosham and his staff at Lettuce Cater to You), followed by the Angels’ victory over the Chicago White Sox 3 to 2. Special thanks to Kevin Bixby (MBA 1989) and Glen Kauffman (FEMBA 1994) for their assistance with this event.
Stroll Down Memory Lane
David Ochi, MBA 1999, with Professor Margarethe Wiersema at his recent class reunion held on Saturday, September 12, 2009 celebrating the class years 1969 thru 2009. David invited his fellow alumni to take a Stroll Down Memory Lane during the enjoyable evening.
Per David Ochi: One of the highlights of the 4s and 9s reunion was a Stroll Down Memory Lane. Participants were granted the opportunity to discuss and list some of the events that they remembered most from their time in business school. Though some strolls were a bit longer than others (can you imagine seeing President Johnson at UCI?!?!), all were full of laughs and smiles. What stops would be on your stroll? Below are some of the stops we made.
What were some of the most memorable moments while attending business school?
Lisa Barron’s OB class on Saturday morning, when she calls on Darin to answer a question and his response was, “I’m sorry, I was sleeping.”
Arriving in Amsterdam as we attacked Bagdahd.
Graduation!
Happy hours on Thursdays
Chris playing doom in the “Loser Lab.”
Talent show at Final Residential.
Chicken, chicken, and more chicken
Closing Residential, aka Closing Vacation
Classmate went into labor during a final exam
Meeting my wife at orientation in 1982
Drinking beer in Steel Head and Ant Hill between classes
The trip to Russia
What was your favorite part of going to the Merage School/GSM?
GSM - had to be the food and intellectual nourishment of courses too
Learned a lot at school
IT Infrastructure
Having groups in every single class
Residentials
DC trip
Making friends, working in groups
We knew everyone and we learned how to network effectively (i.e. happy hours!)
The marketing class and Imran
If you could have done everything differently while in business school, what would it have been?
Gotten to know more people
Graduated earlier
Taken additional classes
Spent more time thinking about staying in touch with classmates
Sat next to Bob Moschorak more often
Taken more optional courses
Began the program right after I completed my undergraduate work
Nothing
Not working full-time while in school full-time
Enjoyed it more while I was there
What were the most important technologies introduced when you were in business school?
Laptop computers
Gmail, wi-fi, chat
Email
I-Phone
Twitter – anyone graduating before 1999 may not know what that is?
Readily available work stations
HPRC – We still use them today!
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