Charles Brumfield

DIdn't know Melanie.  Never met her.  But now I feel like I know her at least a bit, and I like what I learned.  Very sorry for your loss.  Humanity feels it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERYL!

I remember you Bill, primarily as VP in charge of the Asian Division. But, we met briefly in Singapore before that. You resigned, Susan replaced you and proceeded to drive the AD into the ground. I retired July 31, 2014 and moved on to other things. I'm pretty old, but still hanging in, partying a bit and working out at the gym 5 times a week. Am in Bangkok at the moment, still feeling the effects of the Halloween celebrations last night. I sincerely hope you are doing well!

I was very sorry to hear of Gary's passing.  I did not know him well, but I remember him as an effective Area Director in Korea.  He helped me in several significant ways during my brief assignment in there in the late 1990s..  He seemed to be in good health at the time.  My sympathies go to his family and friends.

I did not know Merv well enough  to comment on his life in detail.  I learned a lot about him from the obit above.  I met Merv while teaching on Okinawa.  I liked him very much and respected his intellect.  I'm glad I got to know him as little as I did and wish I had known him better.

Maryan and I were assigned to teach in Adana, Turkey and the Azores at the same time, and I got to know her pretty well.  She had just left Bosnia when I was assigned there, but she gave me some good survival tips when our paths crossed in Heidelberg.  I haven't seen Maryan since the mid-1990s, but we communicated for awhile by slow mail.  When I moved to the Asian Division in 1996 and married in 2001, we lost touch.  I was always impressed by Maryan's intelligence and love of life.  I will miss thinking she's out there somewhere laughing and having fun, and someday we'd meet again.  I wish her well as she takes on the ultimate journey.  

I met David when we were both part of the group assigned to Europe in the fall of 1993.  It was a fairly large group, but we took an instant liking to each other.  I was a white kid raised in racist MS, he was a black kid raised in the northeast.  I never developed the racism that was/is characteristic of MS, and I never consciously thought of the difference.  He was simply a very intelligent, likable guy.  I never thought of him any other way.  We both taught graduate courses and had some assignments together in Germany and Italy and did some traveling together to places like Paris, Rome, Luxemburg, and Munich for Oktoberfest (he had my back because he didn't drink alcohol).  We often went to movies or parties together.  David talked about his family but never let on that it was his "adopted" family.  First I knew of that was from the above.

I left Europe for Asia in 1996, and married in Thailand in 2000.   As we led our separate lives, for the most part I lost touch with David.  But I can still remember the last time we said goodbye and all of the good memories in between.  

I could go on and on about how much I liked David, but I'll just say, he was a great friend for the short while I knew him.  I will miss knowing he's in the world.      Charles Brumfield

Posted on: Aug 25, 2016 at 2:33 PM

Good to see you signed up Frank. If you're ever coming to Bangkok, let me or Joe Arden know and we'll be glad to share a meal with you. I miss UMUC, would like to go back, but I don't think that's a possibility. Have fun and stay cool as you are. Charles (Brumfield)

Hi Cheryl,
Great to know you're still out there somewhere. I don't think we've communicated since 1996 when you were headed home from Heidelberg. Would love to hear what you've been up to. I stayed in touch with Maryan for awhile, but haven't heard from her in many years. I retired from UMUC on July 31, 2014. Am now living in Bangkok, Thailand teaching in a struggling international MBA program. I'm a member too and you can see my profile under member profiles to see an outline of what I've been up to. Would love to catch up. Charles (ctbrumfield@gmail.com or this forum).

I first met John in 1965.  I was new to UMUC, and I assume he was pretty new too.  I forgot his exact title, but he was the UMUC accountant in Heidelberg.  There was a close-knit group centered in Heidelberg and environs that got together rather regularly for dinners or parties, some of us traveling from Weisbaden, Ramstein, or other parts of Germany just for the weekends.  The group consisted of John Mack, Ben Massey, Vida Bandis, Dot Ferjo, Jack LaBlanc, Carl Bock, Bob Daly, Christine Leyopolt, Bill Warner, myself, and a few I know I'm leaving out, with apologies.  Carl was tragically killed in a car accident during those days of our youth, and a couple (but only a couple) besides John have passed away in the years since.  

The program was smaller back then, and it was easier to form close friendships.  John was everybody's best friend.  

I left the program in 1969 and didn't see or hear from John again until 2012 (?) (I think it was, or 2013), when Joe Arden got us together for lunch in Bangkok, Thailand.  We were to meet in the lobby of the Sheraton Grande on Sukhumvit.  Joe was running a little late, and the lobby was somewhat crowded.  But I recognized John the moment I laid eyes on him, after some 45 years.  The three of us had a great lunch and reminisced about the good ole days.  Needless to say, it was wonderful to see John again.  It was interesting that we had in common that both of us had chosen Thai wives.  

I knew John had had some health problems, but still I was deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

Charles Brumfield

Hi Bill, Glad you can make the gathering in your home town. Sure wish I could join you there, but I'll be in middle of teaching some grad students in Bangkok who say they need my worthless behind here. Hope you and Lisa will enjoy the meetings. My friend, Joe Arden, now living in Bangkok, will be there. Be sure to say hello to him (40 years in the program, many as overseas director).