Bring us up to date with your life:
Flossie says I have to say more in this section, so here goes.
After graduating from Georgia State [subsequent to two years at UG and the Chi Phi fraternity] and a stint in the Coast Guard, went to Wharton Graduate and received an MBA in Corporate and Real Estate finance. After six months backpacking Europe, joined Citicorp in Manhattan [they were nice enough to let me go to Europe after they hired me while still in school]. Worked first in the investment group on Wall Street and then moved to the new corporate real estate group at the head office. Covered the western states and spent two weeks of each month on the west coast. After nine years in Manhattan and two in London, the bank moved me to LA to open Citicorp Real Estate, Inc. which took over the commercial RE lending for the Bank. This group grew from this first office to a network of over 30 offices all over the world. We literally grew the business from $300MM in 1971 to $35 Billion in 1992. It was a great ride, especially considering that we did it by the seat of our pants in the beginning and without computers! It was a lot of work, but also a great deal of fun.
In 1981 joined Scudder, Stevens & Clark Investment Management to head up the Real Estate Investment Management division advising public and private pension funds on their real estate portfolios. [my favorite client was the Screen Actors Guild, since I got to meet a lot of the "celebrities" and be involved in that industry].
In 1988, rejoined Citibank to establish a RE Investment Management group of Citicorp Real Estate, out of the LA office. This dealt with domestic and international management and was involved with the Bank's LBO functions during the late 80's and early 90's. In 1992 the bank lent me to the RTC in their Atlanta office, to help liquidate the S&L industry. I had spent a lot of time, out of the bank's manhattan headquarters, in Atlanta and the SE during the 1974=76 real estate downturn protecting the bank assets there so they felt I had a knowledge base. [I was always extremely grateful to the bank to give me that period away from my duties on the west coast to handle the problems in Atlanta and the SE as it allowed me to spend time with my Mother while she was dying].
In 1998 retired, for the first time, to Tampa, Florida. This lasted six months and I joined Southtrust Bank, subsequently purchased by Wachovia, and was charged with restructuring the credit and credit administration group of Florida.
In 2002 left to go to Tallahassee, Florida to rebuild a bank that had gone under regulator supervision. Ended up selling that bank to Hancock Bank in Mississippi. Then went to Thomasville, Georgia to help rebuild another bank that had gone under supervision. Successfully completed this and then moved to Albany, Georgia to help start a new bank. After successful opening and initial operations, I decided to really retire at 65 and moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia since so many of our friends are there - or on their way! After six months, moved to St. George, Utah to consult with another group to start a bank. Unfortunately, they were hit with the 2008 financial tsunami and decided after 14 months to go in a different direction and purchase an existing bank. I returned to St. Simons.
During the course of my professional career and in my personal life, I have been very lucky in where I have been able to live and the amount of travel I have enjoyed all over the world. I am a cruise fanatic and love traveling that way.
Like everyone else, I have my medical problems - I think my entire insides have been viewed by more doctors and nurses than I care to remember!!
In 2002 was operated on for Colon Cancer and after two operations, radiation and Chemotherapy, I have been cancer free for 8 years, so consider myself cured and lucky. Someone told me at the time that "God never gives you more than you can handle" and I think this applies to the good and the bad aspects of life.
I think I have said more than anyone really wants to hear, so I hope Flossie will be happy about this. I look forward to seeing all you "OLD" people.
