Bob Rosenthal:  

Life 45 years since High School, over 40 years since College -- can you believe it? It was way back in 1978 when we graduated BRHS East. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday, while other times it feels like it is a whole lifetime ago. I've had a wild a crazy ride since leaving New Jersey. I went to college in Atlanta (BS Psychology); moved over 15 times for business back and forth across the country. I spent time in Georgia, Florida, Nebraska, Virginia, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Illinois (3 times) where we live today in a Chicago suburb. In 1993 I earned two master's degrees, an MBA and an MM (Masters in Management). I have never written a personal profile before. But, when an old friend commented that my profile was all about business, I thought I'd give it a try. I guess that we define ourselves as our family and our occupation. I'm at the point in my life when my occupation takes the majority of my time, so I tend to lean toward that definition. I also realize the importance of family and try to do my best to maximize my time at home. I'm in my early 60s, and have been married to the same woman for 35 years. We have two grown children. Jonathan is 33 and Sarah is 30. I remember my teenage years and, well, things have changed. I'm beginning to understand the generation gap. But, they are great kids. We're very fortunate. One reason I may think about occupation as my primary definer is that we've relocated so many times for business. But, some things remain constant. Some things don't. As a kid, I was never much of an athlete. My parents insisted on swimming and tennis lessons. At one time in my life, I was quite good at tennis. For some reason, in college, I decided that tennis was my parent's sport and not mine. So, as a form of rebelling, I stopped playing tennis. Now, over 40 years later, I regret that decision. But, I came to my own and found a sport that is all mine around 1995. We enrolled my son in martial arts lessons. After watching him for a year, I decided that this was something I always wanted to learn. Twenty+ years later, and many hundreds or perhaps thousands of hours of practicing Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do, I earned a 3rd degree Black Belt at age 44. Along the way, I've also taken lessons in Judo, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Kuk Sul Won, and a few others. In my spare time, I love to read and travel. Over the years, we've taken a number of trips around the US, three Caribbean cruises, and went to Costa Rica. I think we've done about 10 Disney trips, too. Our most recent fantastic trip was a Viking River Cruise from Prague to Paris followed by a couple of weeks in Ireland. I still like to swim, and our house has a pool that has gotten lots of use. (Although, in Chicago, the swimming season doesn't last too long.) We try to entertain in our home as much as possible and really like good parties. I used to play the violin and the piano, but have not done so for years. Ironically, my wife also studied violin as a child. Later in life, she took piano lessons. Neither of us really play now, but both of our kids are very creative and very musical. Our son plays keyboards, guitar, and base and s in several bands. He has about 10 bands he plays with (some virtual) and one is touring Europe next year. They are really good but have not really made it yet. They are artistic in their style and are not commercial, so they have a small but loyal following. Jon got a Master's in IT a few years back and works as a data analyst with a boutique firm. My daughter, Sarah, is int...Expand for more