Chase Alumni: Activities, 9/11-Irwin Miller, 270 Park + RIP: Bob Geary, Mike Neilson

 
 
 
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NEWS & EVENTS (PAST AND FUTURE)                                            
 
NYC EVENTS 
#  As the new fall season begins, we remind our New York-tri-state alumni that we will not be holding our usual fall gathering this year. Rather, we are waiting for JPMC to assign us a date when they will host us for a reception at the new headquarters at 270 Park Avenue  (along with – fingers crossed – a tour of the building), hopefully in April or May of 2026. Because we expect alumni from outside the NYC area will want to attend this reception, we are planning to program two or three days of activities in conjunction with the reception. 
    Credit classes, geography-specific groups (e.g. LATAM) or business area groups (e.g., Treasury) that want to hold lunches or dinners around the date of the reception can work with us on programming of interest. Our reservation/payment platform can support your event. While we await the actual date of the reception, we suggest that you begin gathering names and contact information for your potential attendees.
     So far, we are offering two activities this fall in NYC -- the birding event described below, and, thanks to CAA co-founder Hans van den Houten, access to an art lecture on October 23rd at NY's extraordinary Explorers Club, about the restoration of a major painting at the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague. (Reservations will be made through the American Friends of the Mauritshuis and tickets will cost $75.)  If another few people are interested in a Zoom-based book club, we will launch that program.
     In spring 2026, we expect to offer three activities outside the reception/reunion:
  • We've reserved 20 tickets to the March 5th Carnegie Hall concert by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, led by Joshua Bell, with a meet-and-greet arranged by our British Chase alumnus who chairs the orchestra's board;
  • a theater party for the Broadway version of Dog Day Afternoon – about the robbery of a Chase bank, and starring two actors from the hit series The Bear); and
  • Subway Series tickets at CitiField, most likely on May 15th. 
     If you think you will be interested in these spring activities, please let Andrea know at news@chasealum.org so we have an idea of how many tickets we should order.
     If you have ideas for other activities -- in person or virtual – please let us know.
 
# CAA Birders: Registration is now open for the next CAA birding event with NYBirding Alliance guide Tod Winston, this time in Central Park's Ramble, on September 25, 2025 at 8 am. Registration is limited to 20 people, so sign up soon. You must be a dues-paying CAA member to register, and can bring one guest. The fee is $15 per person. Meanwhile, enjoy this photo by one of our alumni birders, Alan Delsman, who was visited by a young peregrine falcon outside his bedroom window on the 31st floor of a condo in Brooklyn Heights, from 11 pm to 5 am ! "I thought these hawks were supposed to do something useful, like catching rats, not just staring into people's windows," Delsman said.  
 
 
# What are you reading? We've gotten another terrific suggestion! Send us your summer – and fall – reading lists, recommendations, challenges (i.e., finally conquering Ulysses) and other thoughts on books your fellow alumni have  mentioned. Let us know if you'll be reading books on paper or screens and why you have  a preference. Also tell us whether you would be interested in our setting up a periodic CAA Book Club gathering via Zoom, to discuss fiction, non-fiction or specific genres with other alumni. Let Andrea know at news@chasealum.org. Thanks!
 
 
Alumnus Ralph White's Getting Out of Saigon, his account of how, as a 27-year-old Chase officer, he helped save 113 Vietnamese civilians, was published in Vietnamese on July 4, 2025. It is available in hardcover and paperback in English. 
 
White appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe on April 30, 2025, the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. If you watch the segment, the interview with White begins at about 03.12, after an excellent related feature about the anniversary. We also recently found this video with White on the Today Showfrom May 26, 2023.  
 
 
THE NEW JPMC TOWER AND OTHER JPMC NEWS  
According to Engineering News-Record, JPMC has confirmed that it will be having a "grand opening" of its new 1,388-foot headquarters tower in October.
 
#  CAA member Stan Germond's son, Matt, sent in links to three Instagram sites with multiple marvelous photos and videos of the new JPMC HQ at 270 Park Avenue. To see them, click here and here and here. Matt (a non-Chase banker) is himself a fine hobbyist photographer, whose work can be seen by clicking here.
 
 
 
 
Highly caffeinated: What will they be eating and drinking at the new JPMC headquarters? BusinessInsider reports on the 24/7 options to stoke the bellies and brains of the some 14,000 employees who will be working at 270 Park Avenue. (FYI: There are more than 16,200 incorporated U.S. towns with fewer than 14,000 residents and far fewer food and beverage options.)
Also: Click here to see a video showing recently released images of JPMC's new headquarters.
 
 
Barron's reports that software developers and investment banking associates are among the supporters of a union at JPMorganChase. "The union, called JPMC Workers Alliance,  is likely to face a long, uphill battle in winning explicit concessions from the bank’s management," writes reporter Rebecca Ungarino. "Still, a small but growing union drive represents a sea change for labor relations at America’s largest bank and the industry at large."
 
 
Wow! Bloomberg reported recently that JPMorganChase is now worth more than its three biggest rivals combined. (Bloomberg has a firewall. If you don't subscribe, click on MSN's account of the courage in the second link above.)
 
 
 
 
 
Digital Assets: JPMorganChase will begin accepting Bitcoin and crypto ETFs as collateral for loans globally and treat digital assets like other traditional assets in wealth management evaluations. Read more here.
     Announced June 17, 2025: "JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, is making significant strides in the cryptocurrency space with the upcoming launch of its own digital currency, known as JPMD." (JPMD stands for JPMorgan Deposit Token, not Jamie PM Dimon.) 
 
 
 
From CNBC: "JPMorgan Chase is set to unveil new tools that allow investors to research and purchase bonds and brokered CDs through its mobile app, CNBC is first to report. "Users can set up customized screens and compare bond yields on the same banking app or web portal that they use to check balances, according to JPMorgan executives. "The moves are part of a concerted effort to beef up the bank’s credentials among investors who trade a few times a month."
 
 
 
 
And a wonderful time was had by all! The first Pan-European Chase Alumni Lunch (for alumni who worked in the UK or on the Continent) took place on May 10, 2025, at the RAF Club in London. Nearly 80 people attended–and many stayed on after the official event ended. Said one alumnus: "The overriding reaction of the attendees as we said our farewells was 'When can we do this again?'" Dues-paying CAA members can click here to see photos from the event. Be sure to log in first. Apologies if we misidentified you  or didn't have your name in a caption. Please send corrections and additions with a screenshot of the photo or at least a list of others in the photo to Andrea at news@chasealum.org. Also read this letter of welcome from CAA co-founder Hans van den Houten, touching on how the idea for the CAA was born in London.   .
 
 
Ed Moran found an amusing story about Joseph Reed, David Rockefeller's closest associate, in a book about traveling on Air Force One. You can decide whether it's a story about broken communication, as the author suggests, or about entitlement or chutzpah! Now we've added a vintage Reed story from Bill Flanz. We welcome other stories about Reed. Send to news@chasealum.org.
 
 
 
 
 9/11 CLAIMS                                                                                        
Can you help these Chase colleague and/or their survivors with these 9/11 claims? 
 
# Irwin Miller died in March 25 at the age of 73 after an unsuccessful lung transplant. He was a Business Objects/Data Warehouse Consultant for Chase at 55 Water Street from May 2001 to June 2003, after which he began having numerous lung ailments. His son, Michael, called him an esteemed member of the SAP BusinessObjects and BONYMAUG community, known for his business objects prowess, math genius and calming demeanor. He spent the majority of his career as a consultant (IDM Systems) after his time at Mocatta Metals, with stops at Moviefone, AOL, Public Internet Exchange, Chase and Volvo. If you recall seeing him in or around 55 Water Street after September 11, 2001, please contact MillerMen31@gmail.com.
 
 
Attorneys for David Pridgen are searching for  anyone who remembers seeing him at 1 CMP on or after 9/11/2001. Pridgeon was a Vice President for Market Data, and he worked near the Data Center and the Trading Floor. If you remember working with David and would be willing to sign a statement to support his 9/11 claim, please contact: Gaby Ferrell, Senior Claim Administrator, 646-813-6714 (call/text), gferrell@baraschmcgarry.com
 
 
Attorneys for Monica Popescu are searching for anyone who remembers seeing her at 60 Wall Street on or after 9/11/2001. Popescu, who died of a brain tumor in February 2015 at the age of 52, was a Senior Product Manager/Vice President on the Lab Morgan team. If you remember being in the office with her and would be willing to sign a statement to support her family's 9/11 claim, please contact her husband,  Nic Popescu, at pope5380@hotmail.com and/or her attorneys, Barasch & McGarry, at Jashawn@baraschmcgarry.com.
 
 
LIFE AFTER CHASE                                                                            
 
Michael Prasad has published a new and free e-book on leadership lessons learned and applied through his work as a Certified Emergency Manager. Read more about him and the book by clicking here.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Candid CameraIn retirement, Jean-Marc Bara has become a truly accomplished and even prizewinning photographer, with at least half his output falling under the genre of "street photography": records of everyday life in public places – often candid photos of strangers, often without their knowledge. Bara has shared a video of a recent presentation he made about the genre and his work: From Intuition to Insight: A Journey in  Street Photography blends education and inspiration, offering insights for photographers and non-photographers alike. Click here for the link and to see some of his extraordinary images.
 
 
CAA TECH CORNER WITH DAN ALVAREZ                                       
 
In his 10th feature dedicated to defining emerging trends in technology (in plain English), CAA board member Dan Alvarez shares reasons for making mobile payments and using a digital wallet. (Spoiler alert: It's easy and actually safer.)
      Dan's columns look at tech trends at a "100-level" for Luddites, brilliant (of course) but non-technologically inclined bankers and anyone else in the financial world embarrassed to ask basic questions while looking at the "big picture". 
 
 
EVENT PHOTOS                                                                                  
 
# Remember: Dues-paying Chase Alumni Association members can explore the numerous photo albums on the website. 
 
Available to everyone to see:
 
Photos from Chase Tampa's event at Tampa Bay Downs, March 29, 2025.
 
 
 
 
 
Photos from Chase Belgium's fifth reunion, held in Antwerp on March 28, 2025.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here's a treat for dues-paying members: Click to read The Story of Money: From Barter to Banking, published by The Chase Manhattan Bank Money Museum in 1967. To become a CAA dues-paying member, please click here.
 
 
 
MOMENTS IN BANK HISTORY                                                         
 (And remember...you have friends at Chase Alumni who want to see photos of your Bank memorabilia! Please send to news@chasealum.org.  
 
Object of the Week: 50 Years Ago: 1975 NY Giants pocket schedule, sponsored by Manufacturers Hanover Trust.
 
 
 
Janin Campos was prompted to remember his Chase colleague Frank Ciullaafter seeing the 5-part miniseries  Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, which came out at the beginning of 2025. Ciulla was among those killed when Lybian terrorists downed Pan Am Flight 103 from Heathrow in 1988. Ciulla would have turned 80 in August.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Buried Red Ferraris: We'll be running stories from the commemorative brochure that was created for the May 2025 luncheon held in London for alumni who had worked for Chase in the UK and on the Continent. We're beginning with a story by the luncheon's organizer, Richard Ingham, about a 1994 celebration for Chase Manhattan's European Outstanding Employees Awards – with a celebrated speaker who turned out to be an outstanding fraudster!
 
 
 
Read a terrific piece by Gary Barrelier (photo) about Chase's 85 years in Panama. There is an associated photo album available for view by dues-paying CAA members.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
This isn't a bank object -- it's a gorgeous detail of a building demolished to build a skyscraper eventually taken over by Manufacturers Hanover. Alumnae Ellen King and Monica Altmann recently visited the "Deco at 100" exhibit at the Nassau County (NY) Museum of Art. King writes, "One window railing was particularly interesting as it came from the James Byrne Residence at 270 Park Avenue, Manhattan. Here is an article and photo of what preceded the Union Carbide building. The Union Carbide building opened in 1960. Manufacturers Hanover took over the building in 1980." 
     CAA President Ken Jablon, however, found an error in the article: "This is a very interesting article. However the estimate of the cost of the highest rent apartment in 2015 dollars is way off. In 2015, $1 in 1916 would be worth 21.74 times. Therefore, the monthly $15,000 rent in 1916 would be $326,100 in 2015 and $440,100 in today's dollars (29.34 times)."
Photo: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York  © 2025 Estate of William Hunt Diederich (the designer)
 
 
The Dime Savings Bank of New York, originally the 
Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn, was a bank headquartered at 9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown
Brooklyn. It operated from 1859 to 2002, when it was acquired by Washington Mutual, which was subsequently acquired in 2008 by JPMorganChase, which currently owns all former Dime assets. Designed by Mowbray and Uffinger, the original Dime building dates to the early 1900s and was expanded in 1931-32 by Halsey, McCormack
 & Helmer, who added a rotunda. The old bank is currently preserved at the base of a
74-story residential skyscraper, The Brooklyn Tower. The postcard show above is from 1910. To learn more about the building and see photos of its spectacular interior, click here.
 
 
John Hehir sent us some wonderful ephemera – photos, postcards, ads – from the early 1960s when Chase posted him to the Caribbean. Click here to see them.    
 
 
 
This isn't so much a moment in bank history as a mystery in bank history that we're seeking your help in solving! We received an inquiry from a British doctoral student who recently purchased (with the intent of restoring) a "Guards Red" 1983 Porsche 924 that was originally registered, in June 1983, to Chase Manhattan Bank, Woolgate, Coleman Street, London. The newest owner is looking for information about her autobaby's childhood. Click here for more information and pictures, and let Andrea know if you can fill in part     of the car's story. We've added some clues we've received so far. Turns out a lot of Chase officers in the UK had red Porsches at the time.
 
 
With a new contribution by Bill Kaufmann, we've relaunched our Paying Tribute to My Mentor series, with Part 5. If you haven't written about your mentor and would like to, please  send your paean to news@chasealum.org.
 
 
 
 
 
LOOKING FOR INPUT...                                                                                                 
We're always looking for new Lives After Chase (in non-financial areas) and Moments in Bank History. We also welcome new contributions to such existing series of articles as: Expat Housing, Corruption, Mentors, Bankers in Danger and our newest, Corporate Culture. Please remember to send your story or story ideas to Andrea at news@chasealum.org. As always, you can write something up, or Andrea can interview you and write it up for you.
 
 
We've gotten our first contribution (that we can publish) to this question: Did you ever have a client who let you know that the bank had made a mistake in his or her favor? Click here to read Barry Fellner's story...about himself.
     The question was prompted by two stories. First, The New York Times Ethicist columnist ran a story about  a grandfather who removes the "Bank Error in Your Favor -- Collect $200" card from his grandchild's Monopoly game, because he thinks it teaches the wrong lesson. (Mind you, when Monopoly was introduced in 1935, that $200 was the equivalent of  about $4,600 in today's dollars.)
     (# As an aside: Fred Belmont wrote to us that John Garnett, who was part of Chemical Bank's Edge Act office in Chicago, was the banker in the 1979 Monopoly Championship in New York. You may need to be a New York Times subscriber to access the article.) 
     JPMorganChase is teaching a different kind of lesson by going after customers it has accused of stealing funds in last year’s so-called "infinite money glitch", whereby customers were able withdraw the entire value of a fraudulent check before it bounced.
     If you have a story to share about either a scrupulously honest client (at his own expense) or a client who got caught (with either minor or a bit more major theft -- please no names or details by which they could be identified), please contact Andrea at news@chasealum.org.  
 
 
HAPPY MILESTONE BIRTHDAY!                                                       
 
# We often hear from alumni, "So many In Memoriams!" We can't stop the inevitable, but one alumnus came up with a nice idea: Why not spread a little happiness by celebrating  milestone birthdays?
     So we're inviting alumni to share their upcoming (or very recent) milestone birthdays, ending in "0" or "5". (Please notify Andrea at news@chasealum.org close to your birthday, and if you're having a party, send a picture.)
 
🎈Happy Birthday to Jonathan Lowe, who turns 80 on September 7th.
 
 
 
 
 
 
IN MEMORIAM                                                                                      
 
Please send remembrances and news of recent alumni deaths to news@chasealum.org
 
# Robert Geary, 82, who held senior roles at Chemical and Chase over a 34-year career with the banks in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong and elsewhere, died on August 24, 2025 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was a resident of Old Greenwich, CT.
 
 
 
 
# Michael Neilson, 79, who was an Executive Director for Manufacturers Hanover Ltd in London, died of prostate cancer on August 22, 2025. He was a resident of New Canaan, CT.
 
 
 
 
 
# Michael (Mike) Askew, a former Managing Director at Chase Manhattan who served in the Nordic Division and in Såo Paulo, died on August 10, 2025 in Uzès, France, where he lived in retirement. We were not able to confirm his age. We have added several remembrances.
 
 
 
 
 
Frank Volpicelli, a 32-year veteran of Chase, died in Westerly, RI, on July 28, 2025. He was 75.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bruce Bone, 78, died on June 17, 2025. He'd been a Vice President, Performance Consulting, at Chase as part of a career that began with Washington Mutual and then went on to Bank One and Chase. Bone had Muscular Dystrophy since he was 35.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ottho G. Heldring, 81, who served as a Board member and Treasurer of the CAA for the last 20 years, died of cancer on July 17, 2025 in Seattle. He worked at Chase Manhattan from 1972 to 1998. We have added numerous tributes.
 
 
 
 
 
Stan Schrager, a senior Human Resources executive and Senior Vice President at Chase over a 27-year career with the bank, died July 3, 2025 at his home in Baldwin, NY. Many remembrances are posted. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
John M. Oakes, 81, who spent 14 years with Chase Manhattan's Asia Banking Group, died on May 30, 2025 in New Milford, CT.
 
 
 
 
 
How Best to Use the CAA Membership Directory                        
 
If you have not done so recently, please update the information in your profile, so that the CAA and other members would be better able to contact you.
Using the Membership Directory is a privilege of dues-paying CAA members.
 
Now get a refresher on how to best use the membership directory to find an individual or
groups of individuals you would like to contact.
(Note that only dues-paying members have access to the directory.).
 
To get to the directory, log in at www.chasealum.org. On the home page menu, click on Membership and then Member Directory.
 
When searching by name, or in any of the other search areas, we advise starting by putting in less information in the search field. For example, if you want to find William Smith, type only Smith in the Search by Name box; if you put in “William Smith” and he is calling himself Bill Smith in his profile, you will not find him.
 
If you want to find members who live near you, enter the city, state or country (or any combination) under Location. The Years at Chase search is very valuable. Type in 1996-2005, for instance, and you will find everyone who worked for the bank (including heritage banks) during those years. You can narrow your search by also typing in a location or job title.
 
If you have any problem with any of this, contact Ken Jablon at jablonkt@aol.com. 
 
As always: If the links do not work for you, you can always access the latest stories by logging on to CAA's web site.
 
If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to Ken Jablon or call Ken (during normal working hours) at 212/799-9525.
 
By the by: Don't forget to explore the rest of the CAA Web site. (www.chasealum.org) Just click on the home page menu buttons to find the news archive, photo album, membership directory, past In Memoriams and benefit information.
 
The Board of the Chase Alumni Association 
 
 
 
 
 





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