Class News

Today's Featured Biography

 
Joe Sirianni Jr.

I have so many fond memories of my high school years. TJHS always had a rich tradition of sports and quality education.

My mother, Harriet (Bartholomew) Sirianni graduated from Jefferson in '33.

After our graduation I attempted to go to college, but I wasn't very motivated. I joined the Navy in the summer of '65, which turned out to be one of my best decisions I ever made. After my 12-week boot camp I received orders to board a guided missile destroyer, the USS Goldsboro DDG 20, which was home ported in Pearl Harbor. Our ship made two tours to the Gulf of Tonkin (Viet Nam). We provided naval gunfire support off the coast of Viet Nam. We were lucky never taking a direct hit.

When I left the Navy, one of my goals was to go back to Texas and get a college education. I enrolled into the University of Houston and graduated 3 years later with a BBA degree in Marketing.

During my college years, I met Patti Pettibone, from the TJHS class of '68. Patti was my sister's best friend at Jefferson. I instantly fell in love with Patti. Patti graduated from UT Nursing school on a Saturday; and I from U of H the following Saturday; we were married on that Sunday at Jefferson Methodist Church.

My first job was selling clothes in Houston at Leopold, Price & Rolle, a Division of Harmarx. I stayed with them for 10 years working my way up to be the EVP/GMM.

I got a promotion to New York City as the EVP/GMM at Wallach's, a Hartmarx chain of 30 specialty stores in New York, New Jersey and New England. Patti and I bought a home in the village of Northport, Long Island. The island was so beautiful, but the 3-hour per day commute took a toil on me.

Four years later I was offered a job to be the VP/GMM of Menswear at a little catalog company located in Dodgeville, WI. The firm was Lands' End. I took a chance and moved my family to the frozen tundra of Madison, WI in 1986. This job turned out to be a great carrer move. I traveled all over the Far East, Central and South America and southern Europe along with buyers and QA specialists looking for fabric, factories and mills to produce quality products for the men's line of sportswear and clothing.

I left Land's End in 2000, after 14 wonderful years, to get envolved in a start-up; an online web-based survey company we branded Enetrix. We specialized in building custom compensation and benefits surveys, financial and operational benchmark surveys and member-opinion and customer satisfaction surveys. Nine years later, we were acquired by Gallup, one of our survey clients. Currently I'm still employeed by Gallup as their Business Development/Operations Manager at the Madison city center.

Patti and I have had a wonderful life raising our 5 children. The quality of life in Madison is really awesome. The winters are cold and a little longer than I would prefer, but having 4 distinct seasons has been outstanding.

My biggest passions, besides the love of my family, has been my desire to golf and bowl. I golf 6 to 7 days a week, beginning around April 1st. up through the end of October. Starting in September and ending about the end of April I bowl 5 days a week. To stay in shape and remain competitive, I workout 7 days a week in my home gym. Currently, I'm a 12-handicap golfer and I average about 214 in all my leagues bowling.

Patti and I have blessed with 7 grandchildren and our 8th. is on the way. It's great being grandparents.

I wish I could join everyone at our 55th. reunion.

Best wishes to all.

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