The Fun Zone

I almost passed up my 35th class reunion at Stanford University. But then Frank Ramirez from my freshman dorm asked me to take part in a class panel he was putting together. If you know Frank, it’s like getting a request from the Godfather, an offer you can’t refuse. So there I was, with my prepared :35 second self-introduction, which quickly went out the window when I found myself at the end of a long row of classmates who were smarter and funnier and had published more books. Author Iris Krasnow has been on Oprah twice and I’ve only been on the show once! And she partied at Synergy with Erica Jong!

Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki of alltop.com should have his own talk show; as a moderator he knows when to get out of the way and when to throw in the one-liner that will get a big laugh and take the entire discussion to the next level. The former chief evangelist of Apple brought down the house with his story about how he turned down a ground-floor opportunity at a world-famous search engine company, calling it his $2billion dollar mistake. Beats my story about turning down Ted Turner for a job at CNN, when “cable news” seemed like a crazy idea. Author Beth Brust, whose latest book helps families unlock the mysteries of Aspergers’ Syndrome, defended the printed page against the electronic alternatives. John Driscoll gave a whole new meaning to the global economy by turning Singaporean. Jonathan Marshall showed us that public relations is not for wimps, and Carol Wildman shared her coming-out story with courage and good humor.

Ray Anderson

But the star of the panel was NFL Senior Vice President Ray Anderson, who led the league in big laughs and questions from the audience. The panel nearly turned into an NFL press conference due to audience curiosity about what REALLY happened when former Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh got into it with Detroit Lions Coach Jim Schwartz after a game. Ray didn’t give up many details, but stayed in the fun zone with tales of his Stanford days and beyond.

There's still time!

The panel was asked to name their biggest regret about their Stanford experience, and I had to confess my disappointment at not being selected as a dolly. To which an actual dolly, Terry Gilberg of KFYI-AM talk radio in Arizona retorted, “There’s still time!” I’m in, let’s dance.

Awesome audience

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person scanning the room and realizing that just about everyone in the audience had equally compelling stories to tell, and this panel was perhaps tilted a little too much toward media. Someone suggested specialized class panels for lawyers, entrepreneurs, doctors, etc. I think that’s a great idea for the next bash and I hope I’ll be able to stay a little longer next time.

It was a reunion on more than one level for me when I saw Carl Ho, who was the drum major of  the Homestead High School band. We were both in the class that included Steve Jobs. Next year will mark our 40th reunion and I hope someone will try to put it together.   I also saw my former co-news editor from the  Stanford Daily, Glenn Kramon who rose to the top ranks of the New York Times while I slacked off into broadcasting.

My day at Stanford ended with a quick visit to my friend and longtime mentor, Harry Press. He and his family adopted me as an unofficial daughter when I lived in their Palo Alto home near the campus. At 92, Harry is still sharp and on top of everything from TIVO to the latest news, with great support from his son Tony.  Party on, Harry. We should all be so lucky.

Harry Press