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.
“I Want Kappa Sigma to Go On, and Every Alumnus Should Too”
Kim Chapman ’77 Tells How Kappa Sigma Impacted His Life, and Why He Still Supports the Fraternity Today
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.
“I felt comfortable with the Brothers, we had a lot in common,” he said. “And two doors down was SAE, whom I thought were a bunch of pretentious snobs. The Kappa Sigma guys were very down to earth.”
So after living in the house and getting to know the Brothers, Kim decided to officially join Kappa Sigma. He lived in the house for the next three years, only getting to enjoy a room to himself during his senior year, when he was president of the fraternity. During those years, Chapman recalls many “good times,” but his favorite memory would have to be when Kappa Sig had “Jammies.”
“Jammies were 15 kegs of beer iced down in the kiddy pool in the bar room…live band…lots of girls…tight guest list for guys…a great time that probably will never happen again in today’s Greek culture at Penn State,” said Kim. The Brothers also stocked the Coke machine in the house with beer. So because Kappa Sig happened to be “on tap” almost 5 nights out of the week, Kim never really studied in the fraternity house; though he says, it was “more of a convenience than a hindrance.” It also helped that Kappa Sig had a “test file” on hand of old exams that the Brothers could take a peek at if they happened to have the same classes. After graduating with a degree in Finance as a member of the Army ROTC program, Kim says his fraternity ties deeply impacted his life after college.
“The fraternity shaped me in two very specific ways. Number one, it develops you socially, which is very important in the real world. And number two, it develops you as a leader. It is the best leadership training available to a college kid,” he said. The leadership he learned as a member and president of Kappa Sig also helped him to become a better officer in the Army.
“What I learned in my fraternity hugely jump started my career in the army; I was way ahead of my peers,” he said. “[In fact] leading a fraternity is harder than leading the Army. There is no authority in a fraternity, no ranking, so they don’t really have to listen to you.”
Some of the challenges that Kim did face in his career though were mostly physical. From working in Alaska with temperatures of 50 below zero to performing a total of 90 parachute jumps at temperatures of 20-30 below, Kim had to stay strong to survive. He also voluntarily joined Ranger School, which is the hardest training t! he Army has to offer. Chapman ended up losing 30 pounds in less than a two month time period.
Though it wasn’t all that bad; after all, Kim meet his wife, Karen Gibson, while stationed in Alaska. “We worked in the same unit,” he said, “although I did happen to ‘chew her out’ before we started dating.” Now a retired lieutenant colonel after 22 years of service, spending half of his time in infantry jobs and the other half in intelligence jobs, Kim now spends time taking care of his two kids and being a house dad.
He is very involved in youth sports, the PTA, and active with the high school sports boosters. His wife is currently a colonel at the National War College en-route to Africa this summer for a term of one year. She will be working with anti-terrorism programs near Somalia. His children are now ages 15 and 17, and his oldest daughter will be attending William and Mary in the fall on a 4-year ROTC scholarship. But no matter how much time passes in Kim’s life, he knows that his best memories in life have all involved Kappa Sig, which is why he still chooses to financially support the annual fund any way he can.
“I owe Kappa Sig a huge debt for developing me into the person I became,” he said. “I want every fraternity kid to have the same experience—to have that chance. I want Kappa Sigma to go on, and every alumnus should too.”