Month: September 2015
A Memorable Visit to Chicago Firehouse #13
During a recent trip to Chicago for a VMware Technical Summit, I stepped out of my hotel to pick up a few essentials. As I made my way to the store, I passed by Chicago Firehouse #13 and noticed a memorial displayed prominently out front. On my return, curiosity led me to stop and learn more about it.
The firefighters at the station welcomed me warmly and graciously offered a tour of the firehouse. Inside, I found a tribute to a fallen hero, Walter Watroba, commemorated on a plaque mounted on the back wall. Alongside it were newspaper clippings and articles honoring both Watroba and other firefighters who had lost their lives in the line of duty. The memorial serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by these brave individuals—particularly the significance of November 22, 1976, for Firehouse #13. (You can find more information about the memorial at the link provided at the end of this post.)
During my visit, I had the opportunity to speak at length with a firefighter affectionately known as “The Saint.” He generously shared the story of Walter Watroba, as well as several personal anecdotes from his own career. One particularly moving story involved a retired firefighter who passed down a piece of his equipment to “The Saint”—a rare and powerful gesture of respect in the firefighting community. As he recounted the experience, it was clear how much it meant to him—it even gave him goosebumps.
I truly appreciated the time I spent at Firehouse #13. It was a meaningful and unexpected highlight of my trip. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend stopping by. The stories, the history, and the sense of camaraderie within those walls are well worth experiencing.
More on Walters story here >> https://www.fsi.illinois.edu/content/library/IFLODD/search/Image.cfm?ID=364&ff_id=128
10-30-2015 Phoenix VMUG this event is going to be EPIC!
Back in the day when I lead the Phoenix VMUG the other leaders and I put our attention on the quality of the event vs. trying to drive attendance. We knew producing quality events would lead to more users wanting to attend. Man were we right. Our first VMUG in 2008 drew a crowd of 65, not too bad for our first showing. However we worked hard, listened to our attendees, and in just 2 years time we built an event framework to support 300-500 users and 20+ sponsors ever quarter! The framework we created was so successful it was key in creating the framework for the VMUG UserCon.
Flash forward to October-30-2015 and one of the most EPIC VMUG events ever is about to take place in Phoenix! I never use the word epic unless there is something absolutely stunning. Example – Me doing a selfie drinking a soda is not epic. However – when VMware COO Carl Eschenbach, Principal Architect Rawlinson Rivera, Senior Technical Marketing Architect Doug Baer, Chris Wahl, Josh Atwell, Instructor lead labs, 30+ Partners/Sponsors, multiple breakout sessions, and cocktails at the end of the day come to your VMUG, then this is EPIC!
I know that was quite a bit to take in but like it said EPIC, for now I’d recommend registering for the event and downloading the VMUG UserCon App.
Registration – To register for this event go here >> https://www.vmug.com/p/cm/ld/fid=10175
Download the App – To help you manage your day at this event. Install the VMUG UserCon App >> https://www.vmug.com/p/cm/ld/fid=9653
The overall agenda should be posted soon, and when it does I’ll post up my recommendations around this event!
vmexplorer 