1965

During the month of April, the forms and procedures of the Internal Revenue Service cause many Americans to wonder if they should have chosen the accounting profession. Perhaps, before such a fleeting moment of consideration is forgotten, we should visit with those members of the class of 1965 who have made careers with public accounting firms.

Bill Oberlink, an economics major, joined the Boston office of Arthur Young & Co. shortly after receiving an M.B.A. from Tuck. After five year's work as an auditor, he had an opportunity to transfer to AY's Miami Office. Bill says that after growing up in Wisconsin, going to school in New Hampshire, and working in Boston, he found the weather forecasts of Florida quite inviting. He also was attracted by the nature of his Florida clients: many were smaller, entrepreneurial firms engaged in either high-tech or real estate businesses. Bill was promoted to an Arthur Young partnership in 1975 and now serves as managing partner of three Miami-area offices employing more than 150 people. He observes that one of the best parts of public accounting is that the high rate of professional turnover allows a constant stream of talent into the business and says, "Working with these bright young people causes my day to move a little more quickly and, hopefully, keeps me that much sharper."

Steve Key's first career step after leaving Dartmouth was to major in finance at Cornell's graduate school of business. Nearing the completion of his degree, he noticed that many successful corporate officers had prior experience with auditing firms. Since Dartmouth did not have an undergraduate major in accounting, Steve assumed such a path would be difficult for him to follow. He learned, however, that Arthur Young was offering a program to convert non-accounting majors into auditors. Steve joined AY's New York office and became a partner nine years later. He served as the head "technical" partner and has been in charge of merger and acquisition work for the last five years. He is a member of Arthur Young's board of directors and was recently named managing partner of the New York office. Steve is a marathon runner and his favorite race is the New Year's Eve "Midnight Run" in Central Park, where he says participants wear costumes and champagne is conveniently served at stations along the way. Steve, whose father Ted draws the cartoon "Hazel," is separated, has three children, and makes time in his life for both travel and the theater.

Jim Scott received an M.B.A. from Tuck in 1967 and joined the Boston office of Coopers & Lybrand. He met his wife, Katie, in Boston and they are now the parents of two daughters and a son. Jim transferred to the Springfield, Mass., office in 1976 and moved to Albany in June 1987. Jim was attracted to public accounting because he liked the idea of providing a needed service to a complicated business world. When asked about the stereotype the public often holds of accountants, Jim stated, "I can't imagine anyone being very successful if they match this image. We are in a very competitive business and personal style is quite important." Jim admits his Dartmouth education left him a little lost for specific accounting techniques in his early days, but he was able to solve the "mysteries" without too much difficulty. He feels his liberal arts background has provided resources that turned out to be important in the long run.

This is probably true of all three of our public accountants. Their professional careers can perhaps be compared to a general ledger: the first two or three entries are not as important as the final result. The "bottom line" is that Bill, Steve, and Jim have done well in a demanding occupation and are worthy of our appreciation long after April 15.

3610 Oriole Drive, Columbus, IN 47203

64 1964 JUNE 15, 16, 17, 18, 1989