Jake Yarmoff
1/29/2013
What is your hometown, major, etc.?
I am a junior from Westport, CT, and my major is finance.
Why did you join Kappa Sigma?
While rushing fraternities in the fall of 2010, I found that the brothers of Kappa Sigma were far more approachable than those of other fraternities, and I enjoyed spending time with them. I was looking for a group of guys whom I could trust, and I felt I found that family in Kappa Sigma.
Warren Hartenstine ’67
4/4/2012
Warren Hartenstine ’67 wasn’t just a member of Kappa Sigma during his undergraduate years. He was very involved in extracurricular activities as well, such as being the right guard for Joe Paterno’s first football team, president of his fraternity, IFC President, a member of Lion’s Paw Senior Honor Society, and a member of Skull & Bones Senior Honor Society. Even with such a vast undergraduate experience, Warren cherishes his time as a Kappa Sigma - even to this day.
Camaraderie of Kappa Sig House Makes Difference
2/29/2012
Despite being filled with brothers from different backgrounds with differing attitudes and viewpoints in the late ‘70s, Kappa Sig - with the guidance and discipline provided by a few great leaders - was able to come together and succeed in making the fraternity the best it could be; something Steve Uzupis ’77 remains proud of.
Click on the headline to read more.
George Middlemas ‘68
2/14/2012
Breaking your neck at the age of 17 may not sound like a blessing in disguise to most people, but it taught George Middlemas ‘68, highly successful venture capitalist, a valuable life lesson. “After all, surviving a broken neck puts a different perspective on what most other people might consider risk taking in investing,” observed Middlemas. The accident occurred during a high school gymnastics exercise. Gymnastics may have taught him a lot about flexibility, too. “Times change. You have to be able to take control of your own life.”
JC Cover ‘63
2/14/2012
What is your funniest memory from your Kappa Sig days?
Selecting the funniest memory was the toughest, as there are so many, but the best is probably the “race.” We had instituted a fine for any brother who damages the “fraternal image.” Having been part of that process, early in my senior year on a Friday night after the traditional spaghetti and beer dinner, Marv Bunch ’63 and I decided to have a race between my TR3 and his “Bugeye” Sprite. Problem was, we used the new and yet unpaved parking lot of the new fraternity house! Cost me $25!
Wes Link ‘55
2/14/2012
Wes Link ’55 was approached by Kappa Sig in 1953, who encouraged him to join the fraternity. He had been living in downtown State College and was taken to the house and introduced to the brothers. “I became a brother in spring of ’54,” Wes said. “There are so many things that happened when I was an active brother. We had Hell Week back then, which was a whole different experience then it is today. But I learned a lot of things – to get along with a wide range of guys and to be a neater person. It helped get me ready for going into the Army and going to Korea after I graduated.”
Dave Payne ‘81
2/14/2012
He’s lived all over the world and he works for one of the largest companies on the planet, but what are the most vivid Kappa Sig memories for Dave Payne ’81? They are the simplest form, including stolen food from the house’s refrigerator and scrubbing the upstairs bathroom with his pledge class.
MacKenzie Neumaier
11/29/2011
Why did you join Kappa Sigma?
I joined Kappa Sigma my first semester of freshman year basically just because I met a lot of great guys at rush events. Looking back at it, this decision that I made pretty much basically because it seemed like fun turned out to be on the best choices I have made in college thus far.
John Waltz ’07
11/29/2011
Golf outings are just one of the ways John Waltz ’07 stays connected with his Kappa Sigma brothers. He says they remain as close outside the house as they were when they lived there together during their undergraduate days. The key to maintaining this close relationship is keeping regular communication.
Joe N. Succop II ’48
11/29/2011
Getting Joe to talk about Kappa Sigma is easy: The fraternity has been part of his life since 1943, so he has plenty of material on the subject. He is still actively involved. Even when the current colony is trying to get it’s charter back, he still feels it is his duty and privilege to keep the group moving into the future. To read Joe’s complete story, go to www.kappasigpsu.com.
Tim Bonawitz ’70
11/29/2011
Tim Bonawitz ’70 has not only returned to live in State College since his graduation, but he’s built a house there that’s practically custom-made for alumni parties. “State College is a beautiful place to live,” he says, “I encourage any alumni who have children now attending Penn State to stop by and say hello.
Craig Soden
11/29/2011
What is your hometown, major, etc.?
I am currently a junior and I am studying Kinesiology. I am from Starrucca, PA.
Why did you join Kappa Sigma?
Most of my good friends from my floor that I lived on had joined freshman year and they were always talking about it and trying to get me to join and I finally did.
Kim Chapman ’77
11/29/2011
Kim Chapman ’77 began his college career off at Montana State, because he loved the outdoors and skiing. However, he soon realized it was not the best choice for him, and he needed to make a change to ensure that he received a better education.
So he stumbled upon Penn State. Upon arriving, he was forced to move into a fraternity house because all of the dormitories were full. In those days, many of the houses would get money on the side byrenting out some of their rooms to incoming students. That was how Kim first came to know Kappa Sigma.
Hugh McPherson '97
11/29/2011
After college, Hugh McPherson '97 returned home to the family farm where he started Maize Quest -- a cornfield maze adventure. Hugh's Kappa Sigma connection started with Matt Greico '96 and the Blue Band. He remembers Outrunning the Enemy with JT; Gooch setting Brian Say '97 on fire; Bolt in general; the Celtic Collision; learning a proper Western PA accent from Colby and Ed winning best set design in Greek Sing.
Stephen Mitchell ’89
11/29/2011
Why did you join Kappa Sigma?
I was interested in joining a fraternity, but was not sure which one to choose.
After heading back from a big rush event at the HUB, Curtis Huber ‘89 and I ran into Tim Madden ‘89 and Steve Fox ‘89 from our dorm and joined them heading out to Kappa Sigma. Tim’s dad was a Kappa Sig. Once we got to the chapter house, which was jammed with a big party, we met John Martin Murphy ‘89 (senior from Camp Hill, Pa.) who remembered our names from the rush event! After that we found that everyone at the house was cool and down to earth, and stayed.
Carl Bartuch ’75
11/29/2011
The decision to come to Penn State for Carl Bartuch ’75 was very similar to that of many of its students. Unsure of what particular major he wished to study, he chose Penn State because of the endless options he had to pick from. “I wasn’t really sure which educational discipline I wanted to pursue after high school.
Brad Lawrence ’69
11/29/2011
Though he moved to the other side of the United States, Brad Lawrence ’69 hasn’t forgotten his ties to Pennsylvania and Penn State. Brad still enjoys keeping up with the Pittsburgh Steelers and his beloved Nittany Lions on the gridiron. Through his travels, Brad has found Blue/White fans everywhere.
Charlie Golden ’79
11/29/2011
For Charlie Golden ’79, getting initiated into Kappa Sigma after pledging is the single fondest memory of his college years.
“The best thing is the time when you become a brother after pledging, you can’t really describe it, but you know that it’s definitely worth it,” he said.
Brendan Stenson ’05
6/14/2011
Six years after graduation, Brendan Stenson ’05 still cherishes the bonds he made during his undergraduate Kappa Sigma days, saying the bond still exists after all of these years and the interactions remain as genuine as they were years ago.
Brendan joined Kappa Sig his first semester of college, after visiting the house during his senior year of high school and getting to know Jim O’Mara ’02, along with other brothers, during the summer session before his freshman year. He pledged with Greg Beebe and Carl Myers, also from the class of 2005, and created an unbreakable bond with them that laid the foundation for years to come.
Mary Ellen Nichols - House Cook
3/4/2007
Imagine cooking three meals a day for up to 40 still-growing young men. Now imagine cleaning up the kitchen after 40 men every morning before you start cooking. It really wasn’t as bad as you imagined. Well, maybe it was. House cook for 13 years, from 1990-2003, Mary Ellen Nichols says, “even though that was my job, it was really something special because of the wonderful young men of Kappa Sigma.”
E.V. Bishoff '44
1/8/2004
It was a different time. Brothers dressed in a jacket for dinner in the evening and in a coat and tie for Sunday lunch. Seniors usually wore jackets or suits to class - no t-shirt and jeans. Many of the upperclassmen wore felt dress hats. In the house, everything had to be quiet after 8:00 p.m. - no music or noise of any kind. It was all study time. There was only one telephone in the house, and it was downstairs. And no house mother was on-site to watch over everything. Pledges kept the house clean; that was their responsibility. Every fraternity had a pledge master - an upperclassman - supervise the pledges. Saturday morning was clean-up time.
John Surma '76
5/23/2003
John Surma feels honored to have recently been named president of U.S. Steel Corporation. John, a 1976 Penn State graduate with a degree in accounting, says, "The timing was a welcome surprise at this stage in my career."
He took the presidential reins for the Pittsburgh-based industrial mega-company in March 2003. In his new role, he oversees the day-to-day management of the organization. The operating, commercial, financial and legal staff report to him.
Warburton Miller ‘42
2/4/2003
The 1941-42 school year at the Pennsylvania State College started well for Alpha-Delta, with 18 pledges—the highest number to date. But the academic year was brutally interrupted when the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor with an unprovoked bombing attack that decimated the U.S. fleet in the Pacific.
Jeff Phillips '90
1/3/2003
Q. Why did you join the fraternity?
A. Kappa Sigma was nonpretentious and the brothers were easy-going, down to earth. There were good people in the house and an eclectic crew - Joe Coleman '88, Duey Rumancik '90, Ike, Mack, Jon Taylor, and of course Yabo.
Thomas DeZubay '82
4/12/2002
Q: Why did you join Kappa Sigma?
A: In order to get on the Penn State main campus, I was forced to start summer term, back in the days of trimesters. Despite graduating with honors (barely) in 1978 from Mt. Lebanon High School near Pittsburgh, I wasn’t good enough to come in with the main crowd that fall. But summertime turned out to be a great time. Sure, I was homesick, but fortunately my older brother (Alex ’78) was still there, about to graduate in the fall. Through him, I met the brothers at the Kappa Sigma chapter and really liked their laidback personalities. I discovered that at this chapter of Kappa Sigma, there were no prerequisites for joining. You didn’t have to be a certain religion, have a certain major, come from an affluent family or be a varsity athlete. Just be someone who wants to get along with others and work together to make a difference. The resulting diversity of people in this fraternity is what made it most appealing to me.
Lou Koehler '69
12/31/2001
What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation?
I'm amazed that, for the most part, all the guys I was at State with have done very well in life. And I've spent the last 25 years wondering what Ike "Ozzie Nelson" Strachan does/did for a living. Can anyone explain? I can call Ike any time during the day and he?s always home to answer the phone.
Bruce Claflin '73
12/27/2001
What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation?
I have been back to the fraternity a few times since graduating, but do not have close ties anymore. The influence the fraternity has on me today was determined during my years as an active member living in the house.
Rob "Hampy" Hampton '73
12/19/2001
Tim "Java" Weis '71 appeared outside the Kappa Sigma dining room windows waving a pizza -- taunting those who were suffering through some nondescript gruel.
Suddenly a torrent of water -- a trashcan full to be exact -- crashed down on Java, to the delight of those he had been mocking. Apparently, someone knew Java was coming.