James Holden Quinn
1927 - 1998

"My life works in direct proportion to the commitments I make and keep."
"The only thing more contagious than enthusiasm ... is the lack of it."
"If I always do what I've always done. I'll always get what I've always got."

James Holden Quinn was born in Longview, Washington, in 1926, the second son (of three) of Roswell James and Lydia Eldora Quinn. Roz was an attorney and small business owner.

Jim, as he was known, studied pre-law at the University of Washington until he enlisted in the Air Force. He toured Japan and China after World War II, as the cryptographer for the small entourage of Major-General Richard J. Marshall (Chief of Staff, US Army Forces Far East).

Jim and Janet Quinn married and had three children.  Jim worked for the J.C. Penney Company in Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California. Then, in 1965, he and Jan opened two stores in Thousand Oaks, California, Flair Fabrics and Quinn's Department Store. Eventually, Jim became the president of the Thousand Oaks Chamber of Commerce and president of the Conejo Valley Merchants Association. Jan was president of the North Hills Republican Women's Club, the largest in California and one of the largest in America. Among other things, they were responsible for attracting the Dallas Cowboys to Thousand Oaks, as the location for their training camp and repeated this effort to bring the U.S.S.R. track team to train at the local California Lutheran College. In 1970, they expanded their stores into Bakersfield, California but when Standard Oil pulled out due to the discovery of oil in Alaska, the downturn in the local economy necessitated the selling of their businesses.

In recovering, Jim found healing in several books - Think and Grow Rich, The Relaxation Response, The Magic of Believing, Psycho-Cybernetics and As A Man Thinketh. He began teaching these concepts first to teenagers, then to their families, and then to businesses in Southern California such as New York Life.

In 1971, Jim Quinn discovered and became a trainer for one of the original human development companies ... Mind Dynamics. It was there that he worked for the "Father of the Human Potential Movement", Alexander Everett. Alexander was the subject of the best selling book by Jess Stearn, "The Power of Alpha Thinking."

In June 1973, he left Mind Dynamics and they moved to Chicago to begin the LifeStream trainings. Jan ran the office, and Jim ran the trainings. Their first class was less than auspicious. It was taught in a kitchen in Niles, Illinois, and only had three students. However, they persisted and eventually created one of the most successful personal growth training companies in America. To date, over 200,000 people have experienced this unique training that shows them how to get the best of life.

Graduates include executives of major corporations, small business owners, priests, nuns, ministers, sales people, managers, artists, doctors, dentists, psychologists, psychiatrists, hypnotists, masseuses, councillors, bartenders, nurses, authors, lawyers, judges, scientists, astrologists, numerologists, teachers, limo drivers, pilots, Maori Elders, entrepreneurs, police officers, firemen, soldiers, politicians, entertainers, athletes, students and literally every other walk of life imaginable. Graduates have come from 91 different nationalities ... and have been agnostic, atheist, Scientologist, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, Bahai and many other religions.

There have been those who were amputees, terminally ill, blind, deaf, handicapped or paralyzed. We have had Oscar, Grammy and Emmy award winners, Miss Universe finalists, Super Bowl winners (and losers) and a Playmate of the Year. They have ranged in age from 7 to 92, and have taught us that ANYONE, at ANY AGE, from ANYWHERE, and ANY BACKGROUND can benefit from the LifeStream learning environment.

In 1985, Jim and Jan closed LifeStream Incorporated and turned the trainings over to independent operators who, at one time or another, built and ran trainings in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Colorado, California, Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Hawaii, as well as in Auckland, Wellington, Mt Maunganui and Hamilton, New Zealand and Ontario, Quebec, and British Colombia, Canada, even in Tel Aviv, Israel.

James Holden Quinn passed away just before his 72nd birthday, due to complications from a quintuple (yes, quintuple) heart by-pass surgery.

Copyright 2006, The Personal Growth Centre, Toronto, Canada