Chris Finn

Work, Work, Work, is all it seems like I can remember doing all the past 16 years. I went to John A. for about a year while I worked for Southern Illinois Surgical Appliance from 1992-99 doing every thing under the sun for them. Started as just a delivery driver, worked my way up and eventually became service manager/operations manager for the shop and warehouse. The last year at SISA I took a sales position to advance, as it turns out sales of medical equipment and supplies are not my thing. I hated sales and left to go to Maytag-Herrin.

In '99 I made the move to Maytag - Herrin and went to work with my good old buddy Brandon Petkas in the Maintenance Dept. We had a lot of good times there and made some pretty sweet money for the time and effort. I met a lot of intresting people there. At the peak employment while I was there we had around 1300 people, company and union employees. It was like a small town that ran 24hrs 6 days a week usually. I spent a lot of time on 2nd and 3rd shift. I think thats how I lost touch with many of you. In the spring of 2006 Whirlpool purchased Maytag Corp and by Dec 2006 they had closed the Herrin plant due to over capacity in the laundry division and laid everyone off. It was a sad day to say the least. The plant had been there as a major SI employer for 60 years. They are letting us go back to school for two years to be "retrained" if we wanted to. So currently I am back at John A Logan being the "Old Man" in the class. Im going to end up with an AA in Business Administration/Accounting when I get all done which I hope should be very, very soon. Homework and writing papers still suck for any one that has forgotten.

Thru all this life experience, I was married to Pam Holloman from JC for 9 years whom is Samantha's wonderful mother. We get along better now than when we were married..LOL. Most people have to ask if we still are married or divorced. Sam and I spend a lot of time together and I don't know what or where I would be today if she wasn't a part of my life daily. She is a soft ball girl, part of why I have not completed this until now, ball games never seem to end in the summer.

Newest Development------
12-09

I reciently accepted a new position as a Field Service Tech for Welch Systems. The company is Headquartered in Peoria Il, However I will be normally working in the old home area. I will be daily somewhere from Effingham south. Looks like is going to be very enjoyable and lots of driving (which I love, Bonus). The company sales and services ATM's and other various banking equipment like bill and coin counters. So a new chapter starts again.

Grade school memeories are the best!
I have HUNDREDS of stories on Davis, Marvel, Issacs, Earthall, among others. We did some stupid stuff back in the day. Once Davis brought all his brother's 45's to school, we cut them up and made "throwing stars" out of them. Then we threw them at each other during recess. Man, that was a good idea we had, lets try to hit each other with these jagged cut up records. I don't remember hearing about it but im sure his brother was PISSED! One of hundreds honestly.


Now my favorite H.S. story that would never happen today with the same ending.

It was in Pat Sipes class and either Brandon or Jason Coleman (or both) didn't get a passing grade on a quiz or test. So they wrote a note to Sipes telling him they were going to burn the school down if he didn't give them a better grade. Well, the two of them had to go to Lee's office with the note,(one was supposed to escort the other). Amazingly somehow "wink wink" the note got "lost" in about a hundred pieces and dropped down the stair wells on the way to the office. I don't know how that happened. So, some time passed and the came back and said they had not made it to the office and that the note was "somehow gone". The end result was that they had to set in the hall the rest of the class. Now tell me that would happen today. Pat KNEW they were full of BS, and were not going to do any thing like burn down the school. Today a kid would be in jail with a court date because they WILL do it now. My how things change!!!