My name is Mark Essig (St. Germaine class of ’72) and my wife is Debbie (Morgan) Essig, also the class of 1972.
I no longer live in St. Germaine, but my mother, Joan Essig, is a parishioner. My parents, Bill and Joan Essig were original parishioners. I still read the weekly bulletin because my mom shares it with me. It looks like you need some alumni updates…. in this case, you get two!
Anyway, I started in first grade at St Germaine in the fall of 1964, the first day the school opened. When I graduated in 1972, I was one of three or four students that were the very first kids to go a full eight years at SGS.
Debbie moved in 1970-71 and her dad actually bought the original St Germaine rectory and convent on the corner of 99th and Kenton.
Well, anyway, Debbie and I graduated in 1972. She went to McAuley and I went to Leo High School and we both graduated in 1976. (We started dating during our junior year in high school) Debbie went to St Xavier University and received a degree in elementary education, and eventually got her M.Ed. Debbie just retired as a school teacher. I went to Loyola University and received an undergraduate degree and eventually received an MBA from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. In 2017, the University Of Illinois gave me the Distinguished Alumni Award. Debbie and I were married in 1981. (38 years…wow!)
Debbie and I raised four children who all attended Catholic grade schools and high schools. I became a CEO of various steel companies around the country and we moved to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Charlotte NC, before moving back to Chicago. I am currently the CEO of Phoenix Services, a steel services company headquartered in Philadelphia. (I commute from Chicago)
Debbie and I loved our shared experiences at St Germaine, and still get together with old friends. More importantly, we are incredibly proud to have graduated from St. Germaine.
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