Yves Dehnel

How do you pronounce "Yves Dehnel" anyway? Here's how I did in 1972, and how I do today (Thanks to Theodric Young for the idea.)

My first name came from French actor Yves Montand, and my last name from a German family established in what is now Poland since the 18th century. Here's my lineage (courtesy of Jacques Dehnel, a genealogist who recently discovered that he was a distant uncle of mine...)

A quick tour of my favorite links: French Music online, Internet Movie Database, MIDI Karaoke Cafe, Computer Warehouse

Bio

·         March 21, 1969: Born at the Hôtel-Dieu, Paris, France. Mother: Claire (Paris, 1937 - Rouen, 1993) dental assistant, librarian, educator. Father: André (Warsaw, 1937) chemist, U. of Orléans then Rouen.

Baby picture

1969-1975: Lived in Olivet, Southern suburb of Orléans, France. At age 2: first two words before a microphone (fascinated by the spinning reels of the tape recorder.) Professional ambition: to become a doorman!
1975-1979: Lived in Fleury-les-Aubrais, North of Orléans. Public elementary school. Hobbies: reading, gymnastics, fun with school bullies (not!) Piano lessons (never took too seriously.) Favorite subject: spelling. Terrible at art but good at crafts.
1979-1984: Secondary school in Fleury (Collège Condorcet) and Orléans (Lycée Pothier.) My first radio broadcast (160K) on FR3 Centre Radio with 7th grade music class, Feb. 1981. Favorite subjects: literature, history, languages (German, Russian, English.) Classmates say I ask a lot of questions. Hobbies: reading, bicycling, model railroads, a little programming, breaking electronic equipment, and radio: founded "Lamballe FM" with neighbors, broadcasting to apartment complex through a home-made wireless mike. We had groovy jingles (240K).
1984-1985: Exchange student in Port Jefferson on Long Island, NY. Interest in filmmaking, especially animation.
1985-1986: Short-lived project to remake "Close Encounters" film with classmates in Orléans, aborted after I dropped the camera during special-effects sequence. Professional ambition: translator, perhaps. In any case, I dislike the biology teacher, she's clueless.
1986-1987: Last year of high school in Ottawa, Canada (father on sabbatical.) Now I love biology but hate math. I still end up graduating with the math-oriented Baccalauréat C degree.

High school portrait

1987-1991: College at MIT in Cambridge, MA. Lived at French House (President 1990-1991). Chose Bio major because Architecture advisor missed appointment on registration day. OK, I'll admit it, I liked it too, especially Drosophila development genetics. Research project in quantification of airborne contamination. Concentration in Music. Member of WMBR-FM since 1987 (producer of 4 shows.) Favorite sport: punting (ask your local MIT nerd what it means.) Made many friends at French House. Graduation in 1991 without definite plans.
1991-1993: Work at Brandeis University running DNA/protein synthesis facility under Chris Miller's supervision (awesome boss.) "French Kisses" program debuts May 1991 on WMBR, with Christiane Katz and Laurent Valière. My mother passes away in 1993.
1993-1995: Graduate student of Biochemistry at Brandeis. Research on Drosophila development genetics in Pieter Wensink's group. Growing interest in broadcasting and computing, consideration of a career change. Founding member, Francophone Broadcasting Corporation. Start of a computer tutoring service. I also have a fish tank. Still interested in photography... here's my picture of Chloé, the world's fastest-fetching poodle:

Chloé in action

More photographs are here.

·         1995-1996: Gimme a job in broadcasting!!! I become hyperactive at WMBR, as the "French Kisses" show goes through many staff changes and turns into the Monday morning program "French Toast". The PC consulting hobby turns serious, as I help found Computer Warehouse in South Boston. Creation of Elsewhere International S.N.C., a computer import-export business.

  • 1997: A year of tremendous growth and success for Computer Warehouse. I also assist Brian in organizing the "L'Air du temps" festival of Francophone music every November.
  • 1998: Back in my hometown of Rouen, France, I help promote a local cyber-café at the Fête de l'Internet. I then get a job in Paris with Help-Line as a support engineer, working as a contractor to Bouygues Immobilier. Laurent Valière's evil influence throws me back into broadcasting, as the engineer for a French song show on FPP 106.3 in Paris. I live in Nanterre.
  • 1999: Opening of espoir.net, a volunteer effort to fight unemployment using the Internet. With the help of co-worker Rollande Mistral and Laurent Valière, we organize job-search workshops during the Fête de l'Internet.
  • 2000: I purchase an apartment in Courbevoie and turn it into a furnished rental unit. I then return to Boston as Systems Engineer for Computer Warehouse. "French Toast" returns to the airwaves.
  • 2001-2002: As Computer Warehouse makes a successful transition from retail PC sales to value-added IT services for businesses, I lead the company's growing on-site service department and design a Total Technology Management Database to better keep track of our clients' needs.

Write me!Select this to mail.

Yves