Dear Class of 1984! I wish that I could be with all of you this evening. As many of you know, for most of my “grown-up” life I have lived in Moscow, Russia. Who could have believed I (or anyone) could end up in Moscow when we graduated from Beverly High 30 years ago? Back then Reagan and Andropov were in power and we were in the midst of a Cold War. The USSR was boycotting the LA Olympics. Who remembers Dr. Helen Caldicott coming to speak at BHS about the horrors of nuclear war and the need for disarmament? A few weeks later a representative of the Pentagon came to present an alternative view, speaking about the Soviet threat and need for a nuclear deterrent. Our world was a pushed button away from destruction back then. Who remembers 99 Luftballoons? Who remembers the film “The Day After?” On the day after “The Day After” our math teacher at BHS read from the bible at the start of class to lift our spirits. A teacher would probably be fired for that now. To state the obvious, we live in a different world than we did 30 years ago! From the Pentagon speech I remember that Varian was on the list of Soviet targets. Here I am living Moscow, certainly the target for quite a few US rockets “back then”. While US-Russia relations are not so great right now, we need to remember what has changed. Then we were enemies planning to destroy each other. Now we are rivals, competitors for influence. There is a big difference. I guess it was a desire to “understand the enemy” which caused me to study Russian back in 1984, to choose a major called Soviet Studies (a major which, like the Soviet Union, no longer exists) and led me to Moscow. I would like to say I saw all the changes (like the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the USSR) coming, but it was just curiosity and a sense of adventure, I guess, that led me down this route. One thing led to another and here I am 30 years later! Of course personal happiness played the main role of me staying in Russia for so long. In the early 1990s I met Anna and we were married in 1995. Now we have three girls – Christina (16), Natasha (12) and Katerina (4). Our girls are true “Russian-Americans.” It is a great combination of two great nations. In terms of work, after getting my MBA in 1996 I worked 15 years for Kimberly-Clark helping to bring Huggies, Kotex and Kleenex to Russia. The highlight of my time at KC was building a large factory outside of Moscow to make Huggies diapers. In 2012 I moved from diapers and tampons to drills and tape measurers, joining Stanley Black & Decker. It was an opportunity to lead another great American company developing its business in Russia. In terms of my Beverly roots, I am happy that my parents still live in the same house on Hathaway Ave in Centerville and still manage the golf course in Wenham. We visit at least twice a year and it is nice to spend time with the family in the house of my childhood. I am in regular contact with a few of you, but not in enough contact with many of you. That is what is sad about not being able to join you this evening. It would be great to see you, to enjoy your company, to hear about your “last 30 years” and to have some Nick’s. Of course each of my trips home includes a visit to Nick’s and Super Sub! By the way, if you look carefully you can find me on the wall at Nick’s standing on Red Square in 1987. As I mentioned above so much has changed since 1984. If back then the Soviet Government was jamming the Voice of America being broadcasted into the USSR, now sitting in Moscow I watch CNN and read the Boston Globe on-line (oh yeah, we did not have the internet back then). Thanks to the internet we can stay connected with family and friends no matter where we are living. Heck, last year I watched World Series games while in India, Turkey and Russia! While on the topic of the Red Sox, I guess there have been some changes in the Boston sports’ scene since 1984. Back then we only had Larry Bird and the Celtics; the Patriots were hopeless and the Red Sox were well, the Red Sox. In 1984 the pain of Bucky Dent was still fresh and Billy Buckner was a painful memory still to be made. A lot has changed since 1984. We are older and, hopefully, wiser. Individually we have lived through moments of joy and pain. As a class and nation we have seen happy days and some unbelievably tragic days. Still we remain united as the class of 1984. I wish I could be with all of you this evening. If I was, in Russian tradition there surely would be a vodka toast or 2 or 3….. I will make one toast, from Moscow to all of you, my classmates: May our futures be filled with much joy and little pain. May the next 30 years grant us all strong health so that we can meet again in 2044 as the class of 1984!
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 17:05:19 +0000
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