Mohan, a Kemble blast from the past (Fortune - 5/11/98 article):
"Perhaps the most devout Dell-vangelist is Kemble Matter, 49, a high
school gym teacher in New Paltz, N.Y., who used to supplement his salary
by restoring old houses. In 1996 he bought Dell on the advice of a
former student, a broker. Netting a quick ten grand on a day trade of
1,750 shares, he paid off his credit-card debts and gave his wife a ring
with five diamonds for their 25th anniversary. Nine months later he
reloaded on Dell. His Dell investments have freed him to indulge his
passions, which include furnishing his Tudor-style home and landscaping
his 13 acres of English gardens with specially designed stone walls.
Says Matter: "This whole thing has been a fantasy for me."
Last spring, Matter took his family on a dream vacation, an American
road trip with stops in South Dakota's Badlands, Jackson Hole, Wyo., and
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He told his wife that instead of driving their old
car, he would rent a Cadillac for the trip: "We're going first class."
Just before the trip, Dell stock jumped 34%. So Matter dropped the
rental idea, gave his old Ford Taurus to his daughter, and bought
himself the Cadillac Seville STS that he'd always wanted. "I drove all
these clunkers for so long ..."
When he's not teaching or coaching wrestling--as he still does after 27
years--Matter studies Michael Dell obsessively, collecting articles in
what he calls his Dell bibles. "When I see Michael on TV, I tape him."
He talks of Dell's look of pride, his little sneer, the glimmer in his
eye. Matter recalls watching an interview after last October's crash;
the expression on Dell's face spoke to him, saying, "I hope you're
sticking with me. You'll be sorry if you sell." Matter has persuaded 70
to 80 people to buy the stock, including 13 teachers and four students
at his school. "I know you're not supposed to fall in love with a
stock," he says, "much less with a man, but I am in love with the stock,
the man, and the company." Whatever you say, coach. "
:o)
Drew |
