A Very Good Friend

Charlottesville

August 4, 2025

Let’s start with a tune…

I have been luckier than I deserve when it comes to friends. Along the way, I have formed strong friendships with some great people who I admire and who have inspired me to become a better person — and in some cases even step outside my comfort zone! ‘Cause you know what they say…

I have not been good at maintaining those relationships. Career, raising a family, and distance are my poor excuses. A year turns into a decade turns into 30+ years.

Getting emotional here…

There are those rare friends who I haven’t seen in forever that when we get together we just pick up like it had only been a few days since we saw each other.

It happened when I moved to Charlottesville. It happens at fratty reunions. And it happened this past weekend.

Mark and I became friends at Darden in 1985. I credit him with me getting through those two years. He inspired me with his outstanding intellect (he made Stanford proud), his great experiences (I realized what a vanilla life I had had) and most of all by his friendship.

Last week he reached out to me, said he and his bride Pamela were going to be in Charlottesville and could I join them for dinner. It had been 38 years.

I was excited. I knew when we left Darden that Mark was going to have a large career and life. I wanted to hear just how large they have been. (I was right!)

When we got together, we jumped right in. Over those 38 years we experienced a lot, but there was an immediate rekindling of our friendship. It felt good. No — great.

(I’m embarrassed by how much I talked. I probably spoke two weeks’ worth of words in three hours.)

Mark and Pamela got married in May. Big Sur overlooking the Pacific. A wonderful love story with many twists and turns starting at Stanford. It is AWESOME that they have ended up together. She got a great guy and Mark got very lucky! 😀

Mark, thanks for reaching out. I’ll see y’all again soon — certainly sooner than 38 years!