Who Is Chris Metcalfe?

My Early Years:

I was born in Covina, California to Victor and Jean Metcalfe. I have two sisters, Holly and Robin, I was the oldest. My dad was from Canada and fought as a USA Marine in the Pacific during World War II. This was his stepping-stone to becoming a USA citizen. My mom was a midwestern girl from Ohio. My dad became a jeweler after the war was over. He started his own Jewely store in California. Fun fact, he made some of the jewelry for the move “10 Commandments” with Charleston Heston. My whole family worked in the family jewelry store. My first task was to sweep up the floor and find the stray metals and gemstones that escaped the workbench for 25 cents an hour. Later I sized rings for customers and got paid 10 cents for each ring.

School:

I went to public school and joined the football team and the Judo club. It was very interesting being a 5’2” and 110lbs on the team. Judo was a whole lot more fun. When I was a freshman in High School, my dad sold the jewelry store and retired to Oregon. I finished high school and went to Southern Oregon University to get my Chemistry degree.

School Again:

As happens right out of college, it can be difficult to find a job. I ended up moving to Texas and getting a chemist job. I did not like being in a room doing the same tests over and over again. So, I went back to school at Lamar University to get another bachelor’s degree, this time as a chemical engineer. While in school, I met my 1st wife and became a paramedic with the local ambulance service to support myself and my wife. I also learned how to build shining medieval armor and fought in tournaments for the fun of it. If we have time for a long talk sometime, I have lots of interesting stories from this part of my life to share.

Work and Moving:

After graduating, I moved around the country, OR, TN, FL, OH, IL, TX. I worked for fortune 500 chemical companies as a project manager. I built chemical plants. Managment says we need to enlarge the processing area, we need to replace the cooling tower, we need to fix the railroad tracks on the plant. This all and more was my interesting life. Through these experiences I have gained valuable skills that I can use to help Illinois become better. Budgeting, Forecasting, Planning, Situational Analysis and using the available resources to get the project completed in a timely manner. Along the way I had two sons, who are now grown.

What am I doing now?

I live in Bolingbrook with my 2nd wife Karen Eberhart Metcalfe. I work at her business, as the office manager, keeping the office running smoothly so she can focus on the customers. She also has two children. Between us we have 4 grandchildren. In our spare time, we like to go on road trips to see the wonders of America (and hit some garage sales, looking for that treasure).