Five decades of memories unite MBA reunion group to celebrate at class reunion

Half a century sounds like a long time, but the continuing bond among the graduates of the MBA class who began in 1966 is as strong as ever.  That bond was strong enough to bring them back to campus from all over the U.S. to celebrate their 50-Year Class Reunion. Since graduating, the cohort has kept in contact and met up at least every two years for a reunion.

Even though they have scattered all over the United States, the bond between the students in this cohort is just as strong as it was in 1966. “I received a wonderful education. If I had the opportunity to relive my life again, I would choose to attend BGSU and pursue my MBA in a heartbeat,” said Ronald Hricko, 1966 MBA cohort member.

During their visit to BGSU, the reunion group reminisced about taking classes in Hayes Hall, since the College of Business Building didn’t exist yet, and how some of them watched the first Super Bowl game from Harshman. The MBA program not only impacted their lives professionally but also on a personal level.  

“We came to Bowling Green, one of the earliest MBA groups, and looking back in terms of where our careers have taken us, we have a really broad base from where we are coming from and yet we still continued to get together over the years,” said John Kresovsky, 1966 MBA cohort member. The MBA group still makes time to connect in between reunions through mini reunions, sailing and spring baseball down in Florida. Overall, they have gotten together over 20 times as a group.

For this cohort their relationship didn’t develop just from going through the MBA program. After class activities and social events helped them build the strong relationships and comradery, they still have both of these today. From playing sports on the intramural fields at BGSU to watching games at Anderson Arena, the memories they have created together all started in the MBA program and their time at BGSU. Nelson Sharp, 1966 cohort member, said, “It was great to be a part of this program while it was small, probably a big reason why so many of us have remained so close after all these years.” There were 30 members of the MBA class which started in 1966.

Richard McGrath, associate dean for the College of Business Administration said, “It was amazing to see the bond that these friends still have after 50 years. I repeatedly heard them say the cohort structure and working on case studies helped them get to know one another very well and to learn from each other. Fortunately, these qualities are still integral parts of our current MBA program!”

One of the cohort members remarks, “For fifty years a continuing friendship has grown with family and friends. We have great memories of our graduate education and our fun times at Bowling Green.  As a group we feel somewhat special that although we have scattered to all parts of the USA we continue to stay connected and continue to enjoy and celebrate our friendships.”

Fifteen of the MBA cohort members attended the reunion. Class members pictured include: John Fisher, Ron Hricko, Norm King, John Kresovsky, Nelson Sharp, Denny Stine, Rich Swenson, and Skip Thaler. Not pictured: Lyle Bell, Tom Costell, Mike Fout, Roger Jolicouer, Ray Mundy, Fran Quinn, Larry Sakai, and Dick Schmitt.

The reunion group members are proud to announce they have created a scholarship that will be offered to future full-time MBA students who may need some assistance to complete their MBA. This reunion group feels that their MBA degree had such a positive impact in their lives and wanted to pay that forward to future Falcons. They encourage other graduates to contribute to the 50 Years of Friendship Scholarship so that the impact of this scholarship can grow and have an impact over the next 50 years.