News From England

If this report from England is right, then all of us that walked into Clevenger Hall in 1988 are feeling kind of down.

men in their late-30s and early-40s are the least content of all of us, it seems.

Bob Nulsen Responds

I got an e-mail from Bob Nulsen. Before I post it on the blog, I wanted to get his permission. Somehow, Kevin and I didn't think of Kirk Beckham and John Oliver.

One of them bought U-2's Rattle and Hum and I sat in their room listening to it 3 times one day. I'm sure I overstayed my welcome. I've got letters out to them. John was easy to find. I remember as a teenager driving on US-30 from Ft. Wayne to Chicago and seeing his families dealership in Plymouth. He's there now.

19 years ago this week....

I remember pulling up to Clevenger Hall and going to my room to find that my roommate had already been there. Boz was there at the front desk and I seem to recall him saying something about how opposite me and my new roommate were. I'm not sure if he was referring to the fact I was a foot taller than Ed or that he was a few shades darker than me. Regardless, he turned out to be the a great roommate for 2 years but even a better friend. As I told Chuck, I've never blogged before, but I figure this is a good start since he and I may be the only ones that ever see it!!! I hope we are able to make this reunion a reality!

Brayton/Clevenger Hall

This place seemed really big on my first day.

Guys Kevin and I remember

Here's a list of guys Kevin and I remember from Freshman year. I e-mailed the Ball State Alumni Association for contact information. Kevin contacted some; I contacted some. BSU didn't have some contact info - either they didn't graduated or dropped of the face of the earth or we misspelled their names. If we forgot someone, please forgive - it's been nearly two decades.

Anyone got any news on anyone?

Greg Yancy - Got contact info. Chuck is contacting

Dave Skinner

Dave Stevens

Bob Nulsen - Got contact info. Chuck is contacting

Schyler Mitch Townsend

Steve Entrican

Brett "Animal" (forgot last name)

Jeff Rullman

Jeff Smith

Scott Jones

Lance Aukerman - Got contact info. Kevin's contacting

Ed Beathea - Got contact info. Kevin's contacting

Andy Faley - Got contact info. Kevin's contacting

John Horner

Dave Green

Darren Hamilton - Chuck is contacting

Russ (forgot last name)

Boz - The R.A. from southern Indiana

Clevenger Hall Reunion

Remember me? Chuck McEwen? Yeah, me!

So I’m sitting in my office late one Friday afternoon when the phone rings. The voice at the other end says his name. It’s a name I recognize but there’s a disconnect. Who is this? I asked myself. Kevin Lauck? Through 18 years of hazy memories I start to remember. Oh yeah, I lived across the hall from him for two years.

One of the stupidest things I ever did was loose touch with the guys I got to know freshman/sophomore year on the second floor of Clevenger Hall. Fresh out of high school and with limited worldly experience, they taught me a lot.

After nearly twenty years, Kevin and I picked up from where we left off. We decided we had to touch base with some of those guys from Clevenger. Maybe even have a reunion of sorts. This letter is the result.

What’s going on? Give me a call or drop me a line. My home number is 859-803-8482. My personal e-mail is howard@howardmcewen.com.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

After graduation, I followed Alicia – remember her? – down to Dayton Ohio where she was going to grad school. After a brief stint selling TVs at a Circuit City, I got a job at Fidelity Investments. That sucked. After 6 years I took my 401(k) rollover, some securities licenses, and my large pair of balls and started my own investment firm. This was late 1999 – 6 months before the three year market slide known as the “tech bust”.

I survived. I have a smallish investment practice. I cater to middle-income, middle class families – mostly on Cincinnati’s Westside. It’s an underserved market that really appreciates mere competence.

During that time, a few letters to the editor turned into a writing business. I contribute to several newspapers and a couple magazines.

On the family side, I live in Bellevue, Kentucky, a small city directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. I married Alicia in 1995. We have two daughters – Dagny (10) and Harper (6). That’s it. Alicia has stayed home with the girls for the past 9 years or so but is pretty active in volunteer and civic organizations.