Something was VERY confusing about my Kellogg Reunion this weekend. 🤔

I am not the kind of guy who likes to complain, but this Kellogg Reunion weekend I had to make an exception. To be clear, I was THRILLED to have the opportunity to attend my reunion, spend time with my classmates and friends whom I had not seen in several years, and attend some seminar classes.

So what was the problem, you ask? Well, when I was checking in, the reunion volunteers congratulated me on my “40th” reunion!!! (Yes, they said 40th!!!). I tried to explain that this was impossible since I am only 39 years old, but they showed me evidence that I graduated from Kellogg in 1979. This fact caused me a great deal of confusion.

Let me explain: Back in 2009 — when I was still 39 years old, incidentally — I could reconcile the fact that it was my 30th reunion because clearly, I had been a child prodigy who graduated from Kellogg at the mere age of 9. Simple, straightforward math!!! 😁

However, even for me — a Lawrence University mathematics major — the math got a bit more complicated this year.  Since I am still 39 years old, if this were indeed my 40th reunion, then by my calculations this means that I was only -1 years old when I graduated…! I wasn’t quite sure how to make sense of this until I had a chance to speak with my good friends Professor Carter Cast and Professor Kevin Murnane. They explained that the answer was not that complicated: Being only -1 when I graduated from Kellogg had to do with a combination of Albert Einstein, black holes, and quantum physics (something to do with the superposition principle). While I clearly do not understand these concepts in full, I am now comfortable with the FACT that it was indeed my 40th reunion AND I am still 39 years old…! 😉

On a slightly more serious note, the Kellogg Reunion was wonderful. I had the opportunity to attend two fantastic presentations. One was given by Professor David Schonthal on design thinking (truly amazing) and the other by Professor Greg Carpenter on what makes brands famous (I will never think of wine brands 🍷 the same way again).

Have a great week!!!