I was in the Professional Option program which allowed undergrads to complete their BA and MBA in 5 years (my graduation years were '78 & '79). I had the opportunity to work with Professor Henri Theil as a research assistant and computer programmer, and he encouraged me to stay in the Ph.D program at the business school. This I did, and my job as an instructor in econometrics paid the bills. I passed my exams and wrote a thesis proposal, which involved Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the small sample properties of large sample statistical tests. Unfortunately, the small sample properties of the statistical method I proposed turned out to be pretty lousy, and I really didn't think I was cut out for a job in academia. On a lark I decided to apply for a job at the Chicago Board of Trade, and they actually offered me a job, working on the introduction of a newfangled product called options on bond futures! One thing led to another and I had a long and enjoyable career in financial markets, including my final stint at Commonfund in Connecticut. I'm now happily retired with my wife Marilyn of 43 years (we met on campus), three kids, and four grandchildren. Our oldest child Breyten graduated from the College in 2005, and our middle child Jordan lived in Hyde Park while his wife completed her MSW and M.Div at the UofC. Marilyn's dad was the pastor at University Church for many years and my wife and I were married there. He was a UofC grad as well, so we have had three generations go there. We were so happy that Jordan and his wife got married in the same place that we did. We have lots of fond memories of the UofC. The campus is more beautiful than ever and we enjoy visiting there.—Jim Meisner, ’79