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.
Dave is a longtime supporter of Kappa Sigma and the entire Greek system at Penn State. The brotherhood and the lessons learned have stuck with Dave long after he left the Kappa Sig house. “I chose Kappa Sig because of the diversity,” he said. “I had visited other fraternities and they all seemed to have a ‘theme.’ Kappa Sig had guys from all walks of life with a lot of different perspectives. The only theme was that they would all give it up for each other. And they definitely knew how to have fun.”
Distance has kept Dave and his pledge class from reuniting as often as they would like, but when they do, it’s a memorable time. “I’m still close with most of my pledge class,” he said. “We don’t see each other much, but when we do it is like no time has passed since the last time we got together. We are all in different cities working different types of jobs but we can still spend hours visiting when we see each other. There is nothing like scrubbing the upstairs head together to build a lifetime bond. We did a lot of things together for the time we were in school and the memories could fill a book. We partied, we traveled, and we did stupid stuff that I won’t repeat. We fought with each other from time to time but we were and still are brothers.”
Dave has generously given back to the chapter in recent years in support of maintaining a positive view of the Greek system. “I donate money because I see the value in the brotherhood and the life lessons for young men that being part of running an organization can offer,” he said. “Greek life has taken a beating as tolerance of any behaviors outside of a narrow perspective becomes less prevalent. Yet students who participate in Greek life learn lessons that cannot be learned by those who live in dorms or apartments. Tolerance, understanding and responsibility are important skills that have a big impact after graduation.”
Since leaving school, his work has taken him all over the globe, but Dave has always maintained the connection with Kappa Sigma and his brothers. “I’ve been lucky enough to visit over 40 countries, live in four outside of the US and I’ve seen and done more than I ever dreamed possible while scrubbing that upstairs head with my five pledge brothers,” Dave said.
Dave currently lives and works in Houston, Texas and is the VP of Drilling & Completions for Chevron. “I have been married to the same woman for 26 years and have 3 kids who are all out of university and working,” he said. “My hobbies are cycling, golfing, fishing, diving, traveling and reading. I don’t have a lot of spare time.”
We asked Dave about the socials, Homecoming, football weekends, and sororities, but his most lasting memory happened in the kitchen of the Kappa Sigma house and it’s a lesson he still carries with him today. “My most vivid memory is probably not what you would think,” Dave said. “I was house caterer my sophomore year and took my job very seriously. Brothers continually broke into the refrigerator after hours to get at food. I finally had enough and resigned in a huff. It was a childish thing to do and I felt badly about it afterwards but was too proud to give in. I eventually became the house caterer again and did a much better job. I remember this event because it taught me to be patient and to look for alternative ways to resolve issues rather than with emotion. I still am not perfect at doing this but that inexpensive lesson I learned at Kappa Sig continues to pay dividends.”
Okay Class of ’81…Who kept stealing Dave’s food?
Reconnect with Dave at
[email protected].