Name: Melvin W. Ashland
Nickname (that you know of!): Mel
Martial status: Married
Spouse's/Significant other's name:Brooke C. Ashland
Home address: 4400 Livingston Road,
Central Point, OR 97502
Phone #:541-899-7464
Cell phone #:541-941-1981
Fax #:541-899-8743
Your life since 1963: After high school, I attended Luther College, Decorah, Iowa where I majored in Business Administration with an emphasis on Accounting. I was a four year letterman in football, all conference and Little All-American my senior year. In 1967 started as an accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago. Played semi-pro football for the Chicago Bears farm team until drafted by Uncle Sam and entered the Army in December of 1967.
Served two years at Fort Ord, California and in 1969 resumed my accounting career with Arthur Andersen in San Francisco. I received my CPA certificate from California in 1971. Worked at Arthur for almost 6 years before starting a CPA firm in Bakersfield, California. Married Kathleen in 1969 and had three children, Taylor (31), Laurel (29), and Hilary (24). Divorced.
In 1991 I married Brooke and moved to Oregon. Started Ashland Partners & Co., LLP to provide a verification of investment advisors' claims to a performance history (investment track history). The firm now has over 95 employees with clients in the US, Europe, and Asia. The firm has offices in Oregon, New Jersey, Boston, Tennessee, and Shanghai, China. www.ashlandpartners.com
Brooke and I have 6 children (three + three) known as the AshPats. (Taylor-32, Matthew Patten-31, Laurel-30, Erich Patten-30, Hilary Patten Kemmling-26 and Hilary Ashland Beggs-26). Five are married. All have their bachelors, three of them have their masters. We told our last to graduate (after 9 grueling undergraduate years) we now have 100% of the children through school and that's better than our parents were able to do. We truly appreciate the opportunity this country affords everyone who puts forth the effort.
Your life now: Having fun being the managing partner for Ashland Partners and Co, LLP. Spend a tremendous amount of time "on the road". Brooke travels with me, so it's always part work part pleasure. Not looking to retire any time soon as our lives are pretty much what we love to do any way. We live on 140 acres in beautiful Oregon tree country where we have 170 fruit trees, sheep (maybe goats in the future), two acres of grapes, and raise alfalfa on some flat land. I also collect John Deere tractors and own so far a 1959 720D, all of the 10 series(new generation) except the 2510 and the 8010(only 25 manufactured) as well as one of the 20 series. Also have a Massey-Ferguson 35, the only red one so far.
We have 5 wonderful grandchildren, three daughter in-laws, and two sons-in-law.
What classmates have you kept in contact with? : Mostly Jay Fangman
What classmates would you like to hear from? : Everyone. Where is Bill Thompson?
Would/could you help find classmates? : I think you know where the ones I know are.
Any hobbies? : Collecting tractors. Farming alfalfa (much easier when it's not our livelihood). Making wine from our grapes (haven't won any awards). We have 4 of our kids living in Oregon, with 5 grandkids which is a big source of joy to us. (The others live in Arizona and Seattle).
Favorite song of 1963 or earlier : Most of them, their innocence and simple lyrics are easy for me to understand!
