May/Jun 2015

Juan Montermoso writes, “After 27 years in the high-tech industry, primarily with HP, I am now enjoying a second life as a professor of marketing practice at Santa Clara University as well as doing gigs as a leadership development consultant.” Juan also was nominated for an award for his many years of ASC interviewing work.

Tom Guterbock writes that his second grandchild, Phoebe Amabelle, arrived in December. He also reports that his wife will be honored in 2015 with a major award from the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology.

Sadly, I have three deaths to report. We received a much-delayed notice of the death ofAnthony Kurland on December 20, 2013. We have uncovered very little about him. He was a resident of Bangor, Maine. He attended Punahou School, President Obama’s high school, before arriving at Yale. At Yale he majored in archaeology, and made Phi Beta Kappa. He received his PhD in anthropology from Harvard. Some of his collection of pre-Columbian art has been recently auctioned by Artemis Gallery.

Bruce Poston died October 21, 2014. From his obituary in the Knoxville News Sentinel: “He graduated from Case Western Reserve School of Law, and was a highly regarded trial attorney for criminal defense in Knoxville. Like his Irish ancestors, he was a born storyteller, and he excelled in the courtroom with his quick-witted sense of humor and his ability to connect with people from all walks of life.… He was a wonderful mentor to any new or young attorney that needed help, and loved practicing with his daughter, Jamie.… Bruce enjoyed reading, movies, musicals, and spending time with his family, particularly his four grandchildren. His intelligence, humor, generosity, and kindness were an inspiration to all who knew him.”

We have received word that Peter Burr has died. He had previously written to this column to say that he was 100-percent disabled from the Vietnam War. From his obituary: “Growing up in Kennebunk, he was a 1965 graduate of Kennebunk High School, where he was an outstanding student. He also participated in track and field, baseball, and drama club. He went on to attend Yale University, studying political history and science. Peter served his country as a member of the Armed Forces, attending Officers Training School, and then in Vietnam, where he worked in the adjutant’s office communicating with family members of servicemen serving in Vietnam. Upon his discharge, he returned to the area, attending Nasson College in Springvale, where he completed his degree. He worked for several years for local, state, and national political offices. His passion was politics, and he was uncanny in predicting political races. Most recently, due to his failing health, he had resided in residential care facilities in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.” I also have this from Bill Alper: “I knew Peter a bit while we were at Yale, through the Yale Political Union. We were in the same Party (of the Right) but he remained conservative and a supporter of the war in Vietnam and I stopped being either by the end of freshman year. I believe he remained committed to conservative causes throughout his life. Nonetheless, we stayed cordial and he was always friendly. I didn’t have contact with him for years after graduation, though I did exchange a few e-mails and received several in relatively recent years, the last at the end of 2010. He spent several years in a rehab/health care facility in New Hampshire and was still there when I last heard from him. I believe he was suffering from neuropathy and then suffered a loss of his kidneys, requiring dialysis 3x/week. From his descriptions of events at the facility, it appeared to me that he had been a loyal and friendly companion to others at the facility and cared for and about them.”

“I lost my legs, but I didn’t lose my heart.… A lot of people have legs, but too many people have lost their hearts.”—Bob Wieland, Vietnam veteran who has completed six marathons on his hands.