1963

Most of us are 60 now. Retirement, exit strategy and career change are no longer abstract concepts. For many, they are becoming options.

Lou Gerstner recently turned 60 and officially retired from the helm of IBM, which he occupied since 1993. In assessing Lous accomplishments, there's his career, which has been incredible; his business status, which is about as high as you can go; and the money he's earned, which is a lot. But his legacy, his impact on the high-tech business, is most impressive. When Lou took over, analysts were writing Big Blue's obituary. "The last thing IBM needs now is vision," Lou said then. He proceeded to clean up IBM's finances and redirect the company into the services business, a policy that many top high-tech firms are now emulating. Lou stays on as chairman a little while longer but passes the presidents mantle to his friend, Sam Palmisano, 50. IBM, which last year earned $7.7 billion on revenues of $86 billion, is at the top of its game. Known for neither small talk nor flamboyancy, Lou is old school, in the office early, even the Monday after he lost part of a finger in a gardening accident. So what's next? Running a railroad? That's what Doug Cooper does after retiring from the Cleveland law firm, Thompson, Hine and Flory. Doug was named president of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, which runs from Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio, through the Cuyahoga Valley to Akron's Northside area. His goal is to bring the tourist railroad out of debt by increasing the contributions it receives, especially from corporate sponsors. Running the railroad may seem like fun but it costs almost $2 million a year, not to mention the $200,000 or so they'll have to shell out to buy two new engines for Canton.

Ail-American footballer Bill Wellstead has taken his busy executive coaching business from Enfield, Connecticut, to Sarasota, Florida. His specialty is teaching executives "hiring to avoid firing." New Florida clients include Coastal Recovery Centers, the Venice Foundation, Sun Hydraulics Corp. and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. He says executives should hire people who balance out their own skills and that the interview is key to finding the right people. Bill also performs strategic planning and management training. Media One, Princeton Review and American Management Association were among his clients back in Connecticut. Bill had been vice president of training at Mass Mutual and Xerox.

Oops! A printers error in the last column left out that real estate attorney Pete Rotch was listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2001-2002, and that mortgage banker Clay Herring had his firm ranked in Real Estate Forum, a leading trade publication.

Marty and Lenore Bowne ran a mini-reunion at a January seminar at Princeton conducted by Dartmouth professors and the Dartmouth Club of Suburban New Jersey. This year's seminar on "Cultures of Violence and the Resurgence of Nationalism" attracted Bob and Kappy Berenbroick, Jim and Heidi Clouser, Frank Deserio and Monica Lesko, Reg Jones and Bill and Petie Subin.

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