Bill Manuel
Updated Class Update 2000
(Left-click anywhere for a menu of contributing class members,
or click here to return to the class list.)
|
A short recap ... My career of selling computer displays into the air traffic control market came to an close when I transferred back to the Sony San Diego office from the UK in '97. The displays were extremely popular with ATC agencies worldwide and gave me the chance to really 'see the world'. It was a lot of fun while it lasted. San Diego brought a number of changes. It had been ten years since I was resident in the states (I had left for Japan in '87 from NJ). While it didn't take long to find a place to live, the mental adjustment took longer. The new assignment in the fast paced and ruthless cell phone market proved to be very grueling. A lot of travel to Asia and Latin America, too. I'm happy to say that the adjustment to San Diego did come finally, though. I have even caught myself using the phrase "have a nice day" on occasion! It took some effort but I did manage to find a certain diversity and depth to the life in San Diego. Opera in San Diego may be hard to believe, but it's world class. On the job front, the difficulties at work became a non-issue when the whole division was eliminated. I took the opportunity to study up on the latest web technologies at UCSD and have found a new job in the E-solutions group at Sony. This has meant a lot of travel to Silicon Valley but San Diego is still my base. While we may not be enjoying the fruits of big IPOs or option offerings, but it's still exciting, non-the-less. Ironically, I discovered that one of my colleagues at Sony in San Jose graduated in '74, not from ASIJ but from Chofu. Not only was Mike Sakamoto the same year as I, but he was on their football team. We must of 'bumped heads' way back then! My encounters with ASIJ alumni have been sporadic since the Seattle reunion. I did catch up with Mark Wheeler and his brother Phil ('72) and all the members of their family in the mountains of Switzerland before I moved to SD. I've had occasional visits with Rob Wyland ('78) in Monterey and various members of the Okada family (Leslie and Jerrie) up in Seattle. Beyond that the only other alumni contact that I can recall has been with my brother John ('78), who is out in Kansas City working in the power plant engineering business, and my sister Pat ('72), who has been dividing her time between her two boys, Kyle and Matt, and teaching at the local school board. Ironically, Mom and Dad are out at the end of Long Island, NY on the other side of the continent. They do manage to get out our way fairly frequently, though. They even joined us up in Whistler, Canada on one of our skiing & snow-boarding trips. Well enough said, I guess. I'd love to here from you and our classmates. Don't hesitate to call when your in town. Cheers, Bill Manuel |
