The Cold Call Chronicle

The Student Newspaper of the Darden Graduate School of Business

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Sep 04th
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The Potable Darden Alumni Series presents: Sir Jonathan Hileri (D ’18), Mt. Barracks First Ascent

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It stood as a monolith of epic proportion, towering above the earth below. Its very presence mocked the existence of every man who laid eyes on it or dared to utter its name.  Mt. Barracks reigned supreme over all.

Until one man and his hardened Darden will decided it would reign no longer.  Jonathan Hileri had graduated from the Darden School of Business and, after building and ultimately selling a locomotive start-up, he scanned the horizon for his newest venture.  While literally scanning the horizon, the 12,200 mm tall Mt. Barracks came into view.  His newest goal was clear – he was to be the first to conquer the crag and live to shop at Teeter.  A feat in the name of his nation, his school, and his state.  Sic Semper Tyrannis. 

We now present the annotated photo documentary of his journey on its 75th anniversary. 

amirs article 1
Hileri with his beloved sherpa, Ke Liu (Rob) in 1921.  This photograph was reverently replicated by Sir Edmund Hillary and his sherpa Tensing 30 years later on their Everest climb [inset].

amir article 2
Base camp at 3200 mm.  Both strong willed and decisive, Jonathan was invited back to Darden many times to lead some of John Colley’s first classes, including Men at Work (now General Managers Taking Action – the name was changed after confusion mounted in the 1980’s with the advent of the Australian pop group of the same name).

amir article 3
Hileri was the first to revolutionize rehydration techniques in mountain climbing by utilizing sugary carbonated beverages.  In the 1940’s, Mountain Dew was created in celebration of his ascent and recovery techniques.  Unfortunately, his death in 1976 was due to complications from diabetes. 

amir article 4
Mid-ascent, seen here at 6500 mm.  The nickname “Sir” was not for any official knighting, but given to Jonathan as a result of what it sounded like when he said “sure” with his corncob pipe in tow.  Hileri holds that King George V had a dying wish in 1936 for his knighthood but no records exist to support this claim. In fact, many British despised him due to his hatred of tea and annual nude displays at Stonehenge on the anniversary of his Barracks climb. 

amir article 7
His novel climbing techniques evoked early criticism until experts were convinced of his prowess.  These included using his wife’s pea coat, not lacing his boots, and foregoing all classic climbing equipment with the exception of the stick he used for the base camp tent.  The fathers of lean thinking often point to his success as their inspiration. On February 3, 1925, Sir Jonathan Hileri reached 12,238 mm, the summit of the legendary Mt Barracks. Interestingly, he was wearing fewer clothes than during his ascent, possibly due to the 60 degree weather at the peak (and the base for that matter).  He and Ke Liu (Rob) celebrated with a Panera salad and the latest “Call of Duty” at GameStop.


Amir Allak
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 February 2010 22:32 )  

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