Throughout the election process, insiders within Section C predicted Shoney Katz could emerge as the first ever human mascot. While publicly a more neutral candidate was announced, the unofficial count suggests that Shoney surfaced as the true winner. To commemorate the occasion, Section C celebrated over a potluck dinner prior to Thanksgiving Day. Please refer to the photo of Shoney and the Women of Section C. Also celebrated that evening was Roberto Silberwasser, who was finishing his final meal in the U.S. as a single male. Over the holiday, Roberto flew back to Peru to wed his fianc‚ Cynthia Vaisman. The two met working together last year.
The past month has seen an escalation in work load, intensity, and classroom debate. Fortunately, keen insights into cases continued. Possibly the most reflective comment came from Jonathon Waggoner during a discussion of L.L. Bean’s failed line-up of women’s clothing. After reviewing the original clothing, he commented, “If I had to choose a dress for a duck hunt, this would be it.” Not to disappoint, Mark Lodish later dressed like a duck hunter on Hat Day to appease class demand. It’s unknown if there was a cause-effect relationship between the two events.
Historically Hat Day is a fairly passive activity. However, in the final class in a long Friday, some students role played based on the theme of their hat. For instance, Benjamin Schall, dressed in military fatigues, addressed professors with “Sir, yes sir” before and after speaking. Chris Peyton was similarly motivated, continuing his disciplined support of Canadian beer-maker Molson by wearing their logo on several pieces of clothing. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to find a hat, forcing some students to resort to hair gel. Mikkel Bulow-Lehnsby was electric in his performance.
In discussing the Ritz-Carton, Dan O’Keefe gave one of the more clear definitions of service, saying, “The first time I stayed there, I ordered a Diet Coke. The second time I stayed there, they called me and asked when to deliver it.” Ivan Cheung was able to provide a unique perspective of service in the Ritz after living within it for four months. “I didn’t have a monogrammed pillow, but they did keep me in the same room.” When asked how many students in the class had stayed in the hotel, an almost unanimous portion raised their hands. When asked if anyone had ever paid for their stay, few hands remained. As for me, I associate the hotel with the movie, Regarding Henry.
This past weekend, the section spent an entire Sunday watching Twelve-O’Clock High. While the leadership lessons were understandable, several questions remained outstanding. For instance, what did the title of the movie mean? Fortunately, Section C has Rahul Mehendale, a serious cricket player, top manufacturing engineer, and Air Force historian. In a two-part dissertation, he explained the weakest part of the B-17 Flying Fortress was its nose; as a result, enemies attacked the front of the plane-twelve o’clock high is its blind spot.
Quotes, Fun Factoids & Special Recognition
Malcolm Baker, our finance professor, commented, “I feel like a cruel man” while explaining the mathematics behind an assignment. He may have felt cruel, but we were in pain.
On Monday, December 3, an entire section of the Sky Deck (minus Morgan McKenney) dressed in blue button-down shirts. Apparently the color coordination was not planned.
Jennifer Dimas broke down before finishing a comment on the day her father (HBS ’64G) decided to visit. The class still gave her a standing ovation for her brilliant delivery.
Nick Nagrant asked, “Who is Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch? Who is Mark Wahlberg? Do they know each other?”
News from Holidazzle. Irene Chang was dubbed, “The Britney Spears of Asia.” Some described her as the “Voice of our Section” (VOOS). Jo Jo Blaxall successfully played Pamela Weiss’s understudy, and Isabel Hollunder-Reese, staying in character, was late to her own skit.
A message from the women of Section C to the men of Section C: Thank you for all the roses. And more importantly, keep’m coming!
Our very own Susan Kim was unanimously elected as the 2002 Harbus News Corporation Publisher. Congratulations Susan!
Correction: Raul has requested his name from now on be spelled, Rahul.
