This morning I'm gonna do a little bit of bragging about my sons.

CHASE:

Yesterday was my eldest son's 36th birthday, so I called him with happy wishes and to chat. We rarely talk shop, but he was especially jazzed about a recent contract to paint a water tower in Chicago, hence the photo. I think the area is called Rosemont and that's why the tower is painted like roses. This is what he wrote with the accompanying pic:

I thought you might like a glimpse into the exciting world of paint. We supplied coatings for over 600 water towers this year, but this particular one is simply spectacular. If you ever fly through O'Hare Int'l Airport, you'll see this water tower out your airplane window.





Okay. Let me back up a bit here. My son is the great-grandson of the company's founder. The company is named Tnemec. I won't bore you with the details and its odd name (cement spelled backwards). You can do that on your own at www.tnemec.com.

It's an amazing company with an amazing product line, with amazing people, with amazing integrity. My son is one of those amazing people. AND, amazingly, it is still a privately controlled company.

I have the good fortune to have two flight connections at O'Hare during the next six months. I can't wait to see the tower in person.

DAVID:

David is finishing up his tenure at Cornell this spring. He has spent a very satisfying four years at this fine institution. Last week he was featured in the Cornell Sun with 24 other students. The caption of the article was: The Twenty-five most Influential Students at Cornell. *sigh* I am so proud of him.

Additionally, of the 13,000+ students, David was chosen to be a member of an elite group working on Cornell's 10-year plan via a Comprehensive Master Plan.

Executive Steering Committee:
The Executive Steering Committee (ESC) will provide overall direction including oversight and counsel to the Working Committee, review and approve key milestones and drafts, and validate the plan conclusions. The ESC will consider and advise the project team on sensitive decisions or issues that affect or potentially affect strategic positions, plans, and policies of the institution and their public relations implications. The ESC will periodically and before key project decisions, hear reports and updates from the Working Committee re: the project schedule, scope, budget, and interactions with the stakeholder groups.

* David Skorton, President
* C. Biddy Martin, Provost
* Steve Golding, Executive Vice President
* Mina Amundsen, University Planner, Co-chair
* John Siliciano, Vice Provost, Co-chair
* Carolyn Ainslie, VP Planning & Budget
* David Bean, Arts & Science Student
* Anne Beggs, Doctoral Candidate, Dept. of Theater, Film, and Dance
* Tommy Bruce, VP University Communication
* Geoffrey W. Coates, Professor, Dept of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
* Tom Cole, Director, Capital Budget & Space Planning
* Shirley Egan, Associate University Counsel
* Andri Goncarovs, Research Analyst, Alumni Affairs and Development
* John Gutenberger, Director, Government and Community Relations
* Peter Karp, University Architect
* John Kiefer, Director, Planning Design and Construction
* Peter LePage, Harold Tanner Dean, Arts & Sciences
* Susan Murphy, VP Student & Academic Services
* Rolf Pendall, Associate Professor, City & Regional Planning
* Richard H. Penner, Professor, School of Hotel Administration
* Lisa Staiano-Coico, Dean, Human Ecology
* Gregg Travis, Director, Contract College Facilities
* Bill Wendt, Director, Transportation & Mail Services
* Kyu Whang, VP Facilities Services

Pretty heady stuff, huh?


Thanks for letting me boast. I'm just a proud mommy. My daughter will get the stage all to herself in another post.



Chase & David