On the evening of 18 August, I had the singular privilege of welcoming Augie K Fabela II and his wife, Kathleen L. Fabela, Esq., to my residence in Evanston for dinner.
A scion of Chicago, Augie is the visionary Founder and Chairman of VEON, a global digital operator linking some 160 million souls across six nations. At VEON, he personifies the pioneering spirit, shaping and enriching lives through innovation, connectivity, and an unwavering devotion to excellence.
Yet his sphere of influence transcends mere boardrooms. A philanthropist of profound dedication and a civic luminary, he and Kathleen co-founded the Fabela Family Foundation, a private initiative devoted to religious and educational endeavours, encompassing support for Christian schools and scholarships of enduring merit.
A certified U.S. police officer since 2011, Augie presently serves as Special Advisor to the Cook County Sheriff, bearing the rank of Chief. He formerly commanded Special Operations for the Winthrop Harbor Police, presiding over the SWAT Unit and the AirOne Search and Rescue Helicopter units, exemplifying leadership of the highest order.
Beyond accolades and accomplishments, Augie is my oldest American friend, a bond I hold in the deepest esteem. We first met at Stanford in 1985—he was 18, I 19—and the connection was instantaneous, enduring, and ineffably profound.
That evening marked our first reunion since 1990, when I visited his estate in Chicago, following a labyrinthine road trip: from Seattle to Fairbanks and Anchorage, across the glaciers of Montana, past the monumental visage of Mount Rushmore, and through the fertile heartlands of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Over dinner, conversation flowed with the natural ease and warmth of long familiarity, as if decades had been but a fleeting interlude. We shared reminiscences, laughed at treasured memories, and exchanged candid reflections upon the politics and economy of Cook County and Illinois, as well as the prospective arc of U.S.-Japan relations. Kathleen, long familiar to me in name, proved herself every whit as gracious, warm, and engaging in person as I had long envisioned.
It was an evening of the rarest delight, a veritable testament to the enduring power of true friendship. Even after forty years, much of it spent apart, authentic friendship reveals itself to require no perpetual presence. And should bonds such as these—personal, enduring, and sincere—contribute, even in the most modest fashion, to fortifying the friendship and partnership between the United States and Japan, their significance is, indeed, altogether inestimable.
#FriendshipAcrossBorders #VEON #Leadership #Philanthropy #CivicService #USJapanRelations #EnduringFriendship #Innovation #ChicagoLeaders #GlobalImpact