Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1283597
32 WAC Magazine | wac.net Gregg and Jane first met at a training conference—they both worked for De- loitte at the time but in different cities— outside Milwaukee in 1981. A month later, they reconnected while teaching at a new-staff training in New Jersey. When the week ended, they jumped a plane together and flew to the tropics. "Our first date was actually in Bermuda," Jane smiles. Jane was living in Los Angeles at the time but soon moved to San Francisco. ey dated long distance for three years before Jane moved to Seattle. ey mar- ried a couple of years later. Jane went on to become the managing partner in the Seattle office of Ernst & Young. Gregg and Jane are season ticket holders to Washington football and men's basketball, and they traditionally attend the Los Angeles football match- ups between Notre Dame and USC, Jane's alma mater. Gregg graduated UW with a double major in Spanish and Accounting. He regularly reads novels in Spanish and since his retirement has up- dated his language skills with study-fo- cused trips to Cádiz, San Sebastián, Salamanca, Granada, and Valencia, all located in Spain. "It's a fascinating coun- try," Gregg says. is past March, the couple was nearing the end of a two-week trip to Israel and Jordan when the COVID-19 shutdown began. "e restrictions seemed to get worse each day," Gregg re- calls. Unfortunately, that meant missing Bethlehem and Masada. "We ended up leaving Israel the last day before flights were stopped, and Jordan the next-to- last day," Gregg says. Back home, they self-quarantined for two weeks. A month prior to that trip they were in Australia, and last November they traveled to Egypt. More than a dozen of their trips during the past 20 years have been as hosts of University of Wash- ington alumni travel groups. "We really enjoy those," Gregg says. Following their retirement, the cou- ple spent a month in New York City. e next year, they went back for another six weeks. "We really like big cities," Gregg says. "We like the vibrancy and action." For Gregg, it came as a shock how easily he adapted to life without travel during the shutdown. He started riding his bike again. His first trip took him to Gas Works Park, where Kelsey delivered some fresh-baked bread. "It surprised me how well I adjusted to staying home," he says. "I thought I'd go absolutely crazy." Still, when golf courses reopened, he returned to the tee as soon as he could. When he drove to Snoqualmie to play in early June, it was his first time on the freeway in three months. "It was strange realizing that," he says. A SENSE OF HONOR Back at the WAC, Gregg swings by the gym, which stands empty. It's weird to see it this way. So oen, this is where Gregg's WAC life is centered and full of energy. "I can't wait to get back," he says. "I find the buzz in the WAC super-en- ergizing and the perfect complement to my now more laid-back lifestyle." During this visit to the Club he also heads to the 12th Floor. Here, he oen pauses on his way to meetings in the boardroom. Photos of the Club's former Chairmen and Chairwomen dating to the Club's founding in 1930 hang in display. "Don Covey [the Chairman in 1981] was one of my sponsors for member- ship," Gregg says. "Looking at that wall, it's hard not to feel a sense of honor and respect." —Darrick Meneken is Content Director at the Washington Athletic Club. Reach him at dmeneken@wac.net.