August 9th (8 page)

My life is simple compared to Maggie’s who is continually dropping off or picking up one of the kids. I take a lot more work home so I can help her out and we also hired Sarah, a very sweet 65 year old grandmother of
six, who comes to the house three days a week to help Maggie.

Work has been busy, as usual. One of our early investments paid off big, meaning our original investment of $1 million returned $20 million in two years. That’s not the norm but when it happens it’s very rewarding in many ways. Technology that connects people still seems the future and that’s our focus at Rogers Schmidt.

I attended a fascinating presentation last month by an author of a book called The Reasons for Silicon Valley Success. It emphasized the significance of the young creative minds here that were influenced by the anti-establishment, alternative lifestyle of the late 60’s and 70’s. The Valley became fun and ideals vs. East Coast money and status and the Valley’s three pronged motto became: question authority, think differently and change the world.

Our lives have certainly changed since Maggie and I moved here. Our life is now about family and we’re very blessed, even with the challenges we’ve faced along the way. I wake up every morning hoping to read about a cure for autism. One day it will happen.

Tess,

After several tumultuous years, this past year was a welcome relief.

Maggie and I have reconnected and our communication is much, much better. I’ve made a concerted effort to improve my behavior including working less and helping more with Caroline and Ben. I’ve also lived up to my agreement to control my drinking. No more scotch for me. No more stopping for a drink before I go home and the only woman in my life is Maggie.

Although it’s been a work in progress Maggie and I have regained our intimacy. Finding time for sex is a challenge with two young kids but we try to be creative time wise and once every three or four months a set of grandparents fly up to stay with the kids while Maggie and I take a weekend vacation. Last year we went to Vegas, Santa Barbara and Palm Springs. The trips recharge our batteries and give us important alone time.

The kids both seemed to have a good year. Actually, Caroline had a remarkable year. She really is a gifted child and her 1st grade teacher thinks she’s at a third grade level and can probably skip a grade without any problems. The public schools are excellent here but we’re exploring whether she would have more opportunities at a private school.

Ben’s behavior has stabilized and we keep trying to be the best parents we can. He’s becoming more affectionate which we love. He’s still very shy with others, except for his relationship with Caroline. Remarkably, she seems to understand Ben better than anyone. Most of the time he seems to be in his own world and it’s difficult for him to show emotions. Maggie still takes him to therapy once a week and a special preschool twice a week. We’re exploring all the schools in the area that have programs for autistic children.

Business never gets boring. We’re looking at investing in another couple of companies that make mobile phone components. Currently there are roughly 300,000 mobile phone users in the US. The forecasts we see estimate that number will grow to five million in 1990 and then 100 million by 2,000. If those projections are true there’s going to be some big winners and we’re trying to identify those companies now.

Rogers Schmidt continues to grow our investment portfolio and I’m now serving as a director on the boards of three companies we’ve helped fund. The excitement of the technology we see and the enthusiasm of the bright people that present their companies
is another wonderful reason I love working at Rogers Schmidt. Because almost all the partners have families with young children there’s an added commonality we all share. We all understand the demands of being a parent and trying to balance work and family.

Less than a month ago we were treated to what might have been the greatest rock concert of all time, Live Aid, sorry Woodstock devotees. It would have been great to attend the actual concerts in London or Philly but the TV coverage was excellent and I understand it was watched by a billion people globally. Live Aid certainly had the best lineup ever. Who would have ever thought we’d get to see Elton John, Madonna, Santana, Sting, the Beach Boys, Queen, U2, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton and my favorite, Neil Young, all performing on the same day. Making the day even more memorable was the fact it raised over $100 million for famine relief in Africa.

One of the reasons I love living in this area is the consciousness level. A couple weeks ago, Maggie and I and another couple drove to Berkeley to hear a symposium on AIDS or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Not sure how big this is in the rest of the country but there’s more and more news about it up hear every week. The auditorium was packed and the speakers addressed the latest research. There is consensus that AIDS is caused by a virus that attacks our blood. About seventy percent of those with AIDS are either homosexual or bisexual and almost 20% of the victims are intravenous drug users. Predictions were ominous including a full blown
epidemic. It’s estimated AIDS has affected 8,000+ in the US with more than 4,000 deaths. San Francisco, driven by it high proportion of homosexuals, is driving public awareness. Hopefully treatment and a cure will come soon.

Tess, please be well and happy.

Hi Tess,

I wish I could always start with good news but I guess that’s not life.

In February, my mother, Laura found out she had breast cancer. Luckily her doctor discovered it early during her annual physical. A biopsy indicated the small lump was malignant and after consulting with several doctors she had a lumpectomy which is a procedure where only the tumor and surrounding tissue is removed. The surgery only took about 30 minutes and since it was done with a local anesthetic mom came home later the same day.

I flew down the day of the surgery to be with my mom. She is an incredibly strong woman. I hadn’t realized her family has a history of breast cancer which is important because heredity influences can indicate a propensity for cancer. My parents, with the exception of my dad’s minor heart attack years ago have been very
healthy. My father, Carl, is now sixty while mom is fifty-eight. Everything always comes back to our health.

Our precocious daughter, Caroline, is now going to a special school for gifted and high achieving children. Switching schools was a difficult decision but was made easier when one of her best girlfriends, whose parents are both teachers, decided to send their daughter there. Along with the change in schools Caroline also advanced a full year. She seems to be flourishing and continues to keep me on my toes with questions that keep getting harder to answer. My most frequent response is, “Better ask your Mother.”

Ben is growing up quickly and will be five in December. Every so often he’ll surprise us by doing something new and it gives us hope for his future. Maggie has unbelievable patience and understanding with him but it takes its toll on her. Too often, I’ll wake up in the middle of the night to hear her sobbing in bed. Coping is an everyday challenge but Maggie and I are committed to making Ben’s life as complete and happy as possible.

I’m continually amazed at the companies that present their business plans to Rogers Schmidt. A case in point is a company we saw in the spring. There was an event that occurred in January when the first computer virus called “brain” was released, by accident, and infected and disabled computers around the world. The presentation we saw was in response to the threat of the computer virus. The company saw this as a staggering problem going forward and is close to developing
security programs that will rid computers of a virus. If they’re right about this being a significant problem, the solution could be huge.

There really shouldn’t be much of a difference between being thirty-four and thirty-five but for some reason I feel more middle aged—now. I keep saying I need to get back to the gym but there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day. I’ve bought some crazy exercise equipment off TV but after trying them once they end up in a corner of the garage. The days of playing hoops with the guys are over so I’m going to start running and try to get back in shape. I’ll have to run early in the morning but I need to do it.

We took our first family road trip in July. We rented a motor home and drove to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. We thought it would be easier to drive than fly. It’s just so damn hard to know what’s going on with Ben. I want so much to be able to do so many simple fun things with him. It just sucks. I try to be strong but there are times I’m just overwhelmed and breakdown in tears. Perhaps that’s what makes thirty-five so difficult. Sorry for the tone of this letter but, as always, hope you’re well and prospering.