In the latest installment of Leatherneck Club feature interviews, Bryce Weiler interviews Leatherneck Club Advisory Board Vice President Josh Hamm.


Bryce Weiler: This is Bryce Weiler and I have the distinct pleasure to be chatting with Josh Hamm, a member of the Western Illinois Leatherneck Club.
 
Bryce: My first question deals with your time working at the bank. Working as a banker, you have the opportunity to influence many people's lives. Talk about how you influence people's lives and what you've enjoyed influencing people's lives being a part of the Leatherneck Club.
 
Josh: Well, as a small transition from that, what first got me associated with the Leatherneck Club was as a young kid growing up in Macomb. I went away to school and then came back to live in the community. But as a young kid, my grandfather would always bring me to the Leatherneck events, a fond memory that I have. He has since passed, but one of the reasons I get so involved is, I think Macomb as a community is so fortunate to have Division I athletics in their backyard. I think sometimes we take that for granted. I have two children as well, and I want them to experience Division I athletics.
 
Bryce: Although you weren't far from home for school, I enjoyed you speaking about how your love of Western Illinois has never faded, and once you returned home to start your work and your professional life, you still wanted the Western Illinois athletic department to be a part of your family.
 
Josh: That's absolutely correct. I am heavily involved in the love for my Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys, but I have no other college affiliation. Bye weeks for Western Illinois are kind of disappointing to me, so it's something I look forward to every season that rolls around.
 
Bryce: I'm not sure if they have any signed items from the Dallas Cowboys at the annual Purple & Gold Auction every year, but there's usually a plethora of St. Louis Cardinals items dotting that auction. Do you enjoy going to that, and what are your some of your favorite experiences that you might have purchased in the past, or items?
 
Josh: I've been involved with the Purple & Gold Auction for the past 10-plus years. I recently got off of the committee because I felt that it was important to get some new blood in there, some fresh ideas so that it doesn't get stagnant. My wife and my family have enjoyed many items from trips to memorabilia, to honorary coaching opportunities with the Leathernecks. It's always a great event and a good community event as well.
 
Bryce: Before every Western Illinois football game is the tailgating that takes place outside of Hanson Field. And your truck is one of the hotspot of the tailgating atmosphere. Can you about that and why you enjoy interacting with the fans of Western Illinois?
 
Josh: Over the years, we've developed a group of not only friends, but family and local community people. It's kind of like Christmas morning for us adults, as far as I'm concerned with college football season. It's something we really enjoy, our family gets involved. We started out with the old purple and gold bread truck, but actually this year, we've upgraded to a tailgating trailer with all the necessities for tailgating, with TV and electricity and all that good stuff. We really look forward to it. There's about six families that go together and we coordinate each week, and we've gone to a few road games. Actually this year, with the football team off to a great start, it gets all that excitement build-up even more.
 
Bryce: From what you just said, I think one of your favorite things about being a part of the club is getting to help out Western Illinois athletics, but also getting to share your love of Western Illinois sports with the other members.
 
Josh: That's absolutely correct. I think, Macomb being the small community that it is and my involvement, over the years I've developed not only business relationships, but personal relationships with coaching members and staff members. And I think that's what's so unique about this university and this town, is that you can develop those relationships.
 
Bryce: You have a couple of children and you are a youth baseball coach, and through that, it gives you a great opportunity to influence players' lives on and off the field. And you're also doing the same thing here, on a larger scale, with Western Illinois and being a part of the Leatherneck Club. Can you talk about how you enjoy both those roles, helping out people of different ages, whether it's the younger students that you coach or the student-athletes here at Western Illinois?
 
Josh: I think I take from the younger kids, it's good to see them grow developmentally from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. At the beginning of the year, you're asking them to do different things, and by the end of the year, you don't have to ask them to do those things because they have been coached that and learned those skills necessary. I guess to relate that to the college athletics, I was fortunate to be able to play college baseball for a little bit, but I guess what I get out the most of it is the speakers that we have at the Purple & Gold Auction, aside from all of their athletic accomplishments, the young men and women that get up there and speak, and the experiences that Western has given them, and then in turn, them sharing their experience with the audience, with how they've grown as a person and an individual and how they have been able to set their life up for success later.
 
Bryce: Has there been one interaction with a particular player or coach or staff member here at Western Illinois that has just brought home the value of what being a part of the Leatherneck Club means to you and your family?
 
Josh: I don't know if there's one specific. I've had a variety of relationships with coaches, some stay, some go for a variety of reasons. But just the opportunity to see folks out in the community, have dinner with people, develop long-lasting friendships and really everybody here kind of caring about the same goal of caring about the student-athletes.
 
Bryce: Well, Josh, it's been a pleasure chatting with you. I've enjoyed hearing about how you influence not only the lives of the student-athletes, but the lives of the individuals on your youth baseball team. Thank you for taking time away from your bank in Industry, Illinois to make the trek to Macomb to spend some time answering some of my questions.
 
Josh: No problem, I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
 
Bryce: This has been Bryce Weiler interviewing Josh Hamm of the Western Illinois University Leatherneck Club.