Yale Class of 1963 - 50th Reunion
New Haven, CT    May 30-June 2, 2013

Personal Essay

Jon Larson

I was born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands.  I was most fortunate to experience three of the world’s great educational institutions; Punahou School in Hawaii, Yale University, and the IBM Corporation.

For over 40 years, I held a number of positions in computer and network design engineering, marketing, project management and consulting around the U.S. and abroad, through IBM and on my own as a consultant.   Mid career I was the co-founder and president/CEO of MEDICOM Corporation.

My most prized public recognition was winning the yearly President’s Award as the #1 recognized contributor to Total Quality Management in U.S. industry by the Association for Quality and Participation, dedicated to improving workplaces through quality and participation practices.

My unique life path has been a continuous outward and constantly widening spiral of gaining consciousness, of waking up to my own true self and purpose in life through constant discovery and learning, most often from my mistakes and failures. I try to balance my own personal needs and the needs of my family, with career and serving the needs of the general community. Staying in balance and on track remains a challenge as events conspire at times to pull me off center.

Looking ahead to life after 70: It is all about balance and staying healthy, connected and relevant.

1. Self: I enjoy regular swims at the local community pool to stay healthy. I am writing four books and look forward to electronic publishing them over the coming years.  I derive immense enjoyment from re-reading old classics in my library and the thriving hummingbird farm in my back yard.

2. Creating wealth: I am managing partner of a small VC company IRPLLC which invests my own and partners capital in a managed portfolio of 25 startup and early stage companies over a broad range of products and services. The work keeps me young, in touch, involved and relevant.

3. Non-profit mentorship: I manage our Larson Family Foundation, a non-profit 501c3 that nurtures 25 community social programs and non-profit organizations whose missions include interfaith education, cultural preservation, spiritual enlightenment, and environmental conservation.

4. Life’s special blessings: Karen and I continue to enjoy our beautiful old family home of 40 years overlooking the Bay in Tiburon just north of San Francisco. We enjoy easy access year round to a full schedule of subscriber memberships in the ballet, opera, symphony, performing theater arts, speaker series, museums, and live performances.

5. Family: My two sisters Helen and Gail have both enriched my life immeasurably. No father is prouder of his son than I of Derek and his wife Hien. And being a grandparent (for me to Zachary and Annie) is God's reward for our often difficult life's work here on earth.

6. Life’s greatest gift: The greatest gift that comes to a man in his life, besides the gift of life itself from his Mother, is the love of a good woman. I have been most fortunate and blessed to have shared my last 50 years with Karen, as deep, complex, intelligent, funny, mysterious, and loving a woman as God ever placed on our green Earth."

You can take the boy out of Hawaii, but....

Karen.....   Over 48 years now, my most fortunate life association.

1963    Honolulu, Hawaii    College completed and ready for life,  "Bring it on"....