Some time in the early 1990's, I was flipping through a postcard deck, and saw an offer from a self-styled marketing guru--a Dr. Jeffrey Lant. The only Lant I had ever encountered in my entire life was a guy in high school, who called himself Ladd Lant.

My high school Lant was the proverbial go-getter. He ran for office, got good grades, and was always cooking up something. I lost track of him after the 11th grade, which would have been in 1965. Had he now reappeared in a postcard deck?

I called the number on the card, and the good doctor answered. He was a bit taken aback with my question, but confirmed that he WAS the high school guy, now based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ladd is his middle name.

I ordered two books from him: Cash Copy and Money Making Marketing.

Lant's writing style was a rare treat. He pulled no punches and actually gave practical advice. His emphasis was on what worked, and he didn't mind making fun of ad copywriting that didn't work, widely disseminated though it might be. Surely, his advice was just what I needed at the time.

Most marketing materials are quite conventional, and that includes today's "in-your-face" ads and websites: those are just subscribing to a different convention. This contrarian--and that's what he is--gave me the confidence I needed to take the road less traveled.

Yes, I used the books and heartily enjoyed them, but I didn't speak to my old classmate after placing that order.

Fast forward to August, 2000. I had a trip scheduled to Boston. For some reason, I dialed his number, quite certain that after all these years I wouldn't reach him. But I DID reach him, and we arranged to meet--after 35 years.

I got off the subway at Harvard Square, and walked a few blocks to a leafy street, and then into his very cluttered office. We did some catching up.

The marketing guru had gotten on the Web early. You can check out some of his stuff at www.worldprofit.com and www.jeffreylant.com.

Judging from the action on his Eudora window during the time I was in his office, I'd say he gets over 500 e-mails per day. He tries to answer each one personally.

He never married. Instead, he has devoted himself to business and art collecting. An avid history buff with a Harvard Ph.D. to prove it, he claims that he is first and foremost an entrepreneur. Although he attended a number of undergraduate schools, he graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara--hardly the normal stepping stone to the Ivies, especially in those days. It may have helped that he was UCSB's first ever Woodrow Wilson Fellow.

Given his elite connections, he could have sleepwalked his way into a promising career in academia or the corporate world, but that's not the contrarian way. Far better for Dr. Jeffrey to blaze his own trail.

Over a dinner at the Border Cafe we discussed many topics, ranging from fine art, to politics, to how the Internet has both created freedom and cyber-slavery, with its wide-open, international, 24/7 environment.

On the subway back to my hotel, I reflected on the thousands of people I have known, and how few are truly unique.

Dr. Jeffrey Lant--a self-made, self-contained Renaissance man and businessman, who shows no signs of slowing down. Kind of reminds me of a kid in high school...