To the MBA Class of 1974:
This booklet presents a summary of the careers, achievements, and memories of the A. B. Freeman School of Business MBA Class of 1974, as submitted by class members. However brief or detailed the biographies noted here may be, they can never fully capture the accomplishments and contributions of your classmates.
We take satisfaction in the fact that the Freeman School prepared you for your many varied careers. We also humbly acknowledge what you have added to the education Tulane provided was uniquely your own. I offer my thanks — for serving as fine examples for others who have followed in your footsteps and for attesting, through the success of your careers, to the excellence of the business education that you received at Tulane. With heartfelt congratulations and every best wish to each of you, we welcome you to the status of “Golden Graduate.”
Warmest regards,
Paulo Goes Dean, A. B. Freeman School of Business
Rick Armstrong
3010 Farmington Drive Southeast Atlanta, Georgia 30339
678-427-7766
armstrong1014@aol.com
Favorite Campus Memories
Great finance classes taught by Professors Boudreaux and Long and accounting by Professor Zeff. Riding my bike or taking the streetcar to campus in the mornings. Playing tennis with friends at Audubon Park. Sitting with a small group for brunch at the President’s residence with featured guest, Ronald Reagan, when he came to campus in the spring of 1974. Watching Tulane beat LSU in football for the first time in 25 years on December 1, 1973!
Life Since Graduation
Now married for 44 years, Nancy Jones Armstrong and I have three children - two girls and a boy. I enjoyed a 30 year career in corporate finance with Wachovia Bank, based in Winston-Salem, NC, New York City and Atlanta, all working with large corporate clients in the US and internationally. Retired in 2004, as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Global Corporate Finance. I served on many non-profit boards of organizations which help people with developmental disabilities. In 2018, co-founded African Mini Grids, a company that builds solar powered mini grids in Cape Town, SA and ships them to wherever they are needed in Africa.
Lieutenant General (USA-Ret)
David L. (Dan)
Benton
5241 Hermitage Drive
Powder Springs, GA 30127
404-906-3639
dlbenton3@gmail.com
Favorite Campus Memories
The Army gave me the choice of graduate studies at Arizona, Florida State, or Tulane. After visiting the Tulane Graduate School of Business, it was a solid choice. And living in NOLA – Wow! A favorite memory – during a team project we did all our computer programming in those days using punch cards. One day our team was carrying 3 trays of hundreds of punch cards over to the computer center. Storm clouds were above us … and the absolutely worst possible event was to get even a single punch card wet! The machine would throw the program out. So, when the rain drops started falling, we pulled off our shirts, covered the cards, and ran to the computer center. We all arrived bare-chested and laughing … to the delight of several nearby co-eds. Our program ran successfully.
Life Since Graduation
After Tulane I served four years on the Army Staff in the Pentagon working on fiscal programs looking out 5 to 10 years periods; and served as Congressional liaison for Army research and development programs. I then returned to the ‘line’ Army … commanding Artillery units in Europe and the US, culminating as Chief of Staff of the US European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. After my 34 years military service my linguistic abilities (French and German) led me to an international company based in Atlanta where I served for 17 years. Had the opportunity to travel to 42 countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Nancy and I reside in Atlanta and Austin enjoying life with our Goldendoodle Roxi.
Bruce Hagins
861 Edwin Lanford Rd Woodruff, SC 29388
864-567-1611
veep@comcast.net
Favorite Campus Memories
Second semester finance, working in the Admissions Office, jogging on the levee, late night tennis, Mardi Gras, watching the streakers, waiting tables at Brennan’s, biking in the Garden District, riding the trolley, the French Quarter, Lake Pontchartrain, student council meetings, married student housing, job interviews, job interviews and more job interviews.
Life Since Graduation
Following Tulane my wife Jan and I returned to South Carolina where I spent 34 years with a global packaging materials manufacturer. I can truly say that I enjoyed my career in various roles including plant manager, finance director, marketing director, division general manager and vice president of finance. I traveled extensively in Japan and throughout Europe. I retired at age 58 and partnered with my son in real estate investment. I remained active in church and community throughout my working years serving as a deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church, a member of the governor’s task force on workforce excellence, a local school board member and chairman as well as chairman of the area vocational education center. Nationally, I served as chairman of the Foundation for Packaging Education to provide college scholarships. Last year, Jan and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We’re blessed with a wonderful son and daughter and five beautiful grandchildren. I spend spare time reading, playing golf, on the tennis court and in the gym.
Chris Tragakis
6831 Camus Place
Springfield, VA 22152
703-501-6813
chrisjtagakis@gmail.com
Favorite Campus Memories
I attended the MBA program as an Army Major. If memory serves, there were about 8-10 Army officers in the program that year. Most of us were married with kids, and we treated our school studies as a full-time job. Four of us, living in Metairie, carpooled to school, stayed all day in class or the library studying, and carpooled home in late afternoon. My favorite professor was Ken Boudreaux. He was an amazing teacher, able to get across difficult concepts in such an informal yet clear manner. In those years, I was an avid and decent squash player, and when I saw a campus bulletin announcing an intramural squash tournament, I quickly signed up. Over the next few weeks, I ended up winning the university tournament that year. In my second year, I was voted graduate business school student class president and took representing student interests very seriously. Being president also allowed me to attend occasional faculty meetings. These meetings were quite freewheeling, and fascinating to me because they were so different from the much stiffer military meetings I had been accustomed to. At graduation, I was awarded the 1974 Roger L. Cornelius Memorial Award “in gratitude for contributions to Tulane Graduate School of Business”. I felt really honored to receive that. My wife Charlotte’s favorite memory is of the big green and white “Go to Hell LSU” buttons our
class decided to sell in preparation for the 1973 Tulane / LSU football game, in our attempt to break the huge 25 year losing streak. We made some money for the business school selling those buttons all over campus, and most importantly, it worked, with our Tulane Green Wave winning 14 to zero.
Life Since Graduation
I remained in the Army until 1987 retiring as a full Colonel. I spent much of my latter Army career in the Pentagon, where often, I was able to apply the quantitative systems analysis skills I had learned at Tulane. Upon retirement from the Army, I worked at several firms in the Washington DC area focused on defense and federal data communications systems. Charlotte and I have now been married for over 60 amazing years, we have three children (all of whom had been totally immersed in the memories of Mardi Gras parades, sitting on a six-foot ladder on which I had built a 3-kid box seat. I would chain the ladder to a lamp post the night before a parade. We have six wonderful grandchildren, and one (so far) great grandchild who is an amazing bundle of energy. We visited New Orleans in 2010, five years after Katrina, and Charlotte wanted to see the Metairie house we had lived in for the two years we were at school. The current owner was most gracious in showing us around and explaining all the changes resulting from the Katrina flood that had inundated the house with over two feet of water. I retired in Northern Virginia, and we spend major parts of every year at a family home on Cape Cod. We are truly enjoying the good life. Unfortunately, we will not be able to make it to New Orleans for the 50th reunion. Sending fond regards and best wishes to all my ’74 classmates; we’d certainly love to hear from you.
Steven Warshaw
8144 Valhalla Drive
Delray Beach, FL 33446
203-561-5715
steventwarshaw@yahoo.com
Favorite Campus Memories
Attending Tulane Football games.
Life Since Graduation
MBA from Tulane really enhanced my life as to both geographical and student diversity. Campus interview in 1974, led to employment at CT based company, where I stayed for 20+ years. Became knowledgeable in doing biz on global basis. Eventually became a CEO, and today, although retired, sit on NYSE company Board, recently left NASDAQ company Board.
