9 things about Chris Wakim
1. Wakim was born on Dec. 19, 1957, in Wheeling, W.Va.
2. His grandparents emigrated to the United States from Lebanon in the 1920s. With only $100 in his pocket, his grandfather moved to West Virginia and opened his own business.
3. Wakim graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1980 and began a career in the Army.
4. Among other things, he "helped train, evaluate, and equip National Guard and Army Reserve troops headed to the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War," according to the Associated Press. In late 1991, at the rank of captain, he was honorably discharged for injuries received in training accidents and a parachute jump.
5. In 1991, Wakim received a master of liberal arts degree with a concentration in government from Harvard's Extension School. He earned this degree at night while on active duty in the Army.
6. Wakim worked as an investment banker in Chicago before returning to Wheeling in 1997.
7. He currently operates several real-estate and commercial properties as CEO of Boston Park Properties and Foundation Corp. He also helps manage the Tropicana Club on Wheeling Island, owned by his wife, Jeannette.
8. In 2002, Wakim was elected to West Virginia's House of Delegates. He was re-elected in 2004 and announced his run for the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2005 at the Ohio County GOP steak fry.
9. Wakim has been married to his high school sweetheart, Jeannette Yeater, for 24 years. They have two children: Laura is 21, and Nathan is 7.
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