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.
John maintains close relationships with Rusty (Dustin Kreider), Vern (Justin Laurie), Dicky (Frank Summa ’07), Sully (Ryan Sullivan) and Chongo-Smash (T.J. Emrick) through various activities and interactions. He says that with Facebook and social networking taking off the way it has, it’s much easier to maintain connections over the years.
John’s Kappa Sig experience started his freshman year when he visited the house with his roommate. His roommate knew a lot of the brothers from high school and they had a “killer” time hanging out on the porch. He came to the house a few more times during the rush period and when the time came, he decided to pledge, a decision that would lead to countless great times and memories.
Some of the funniest memories he recalls include Kevin Rothberg admitting that he agreed to the moniker “the sasquatch” that he was given during Game Night, Michael Samick’s regular breakdowns and one of the brothers making another brother sign a contract which read, “I owe laid back (loot)” for chipping one of his teeth.
The most interesting memory however, comes from the homeless guy who was squatting in their basement. He claimed to have worldly possessions, but upon further investigation it was discovered that his ‘worldly possessions’ were merely two different shoes, a book of raps that were apparently stolen from Jamie Kennedy’s movie, “Malibu’s Most Wanted” and a Martin Luther King pop-up picture book.
Kappa Sig had and still has a profound influence on John’s life. If it weren’t for Kappa Sig, he would have never met his fiancé and would be without his best man and two of his groomsmen for the ceremony.
He thinks future generations of Kappa Sig should remain selective in choosing who to pledge. He says this goal can be attained by evaluating guys honestly and not letting people in who don’t deserve membership. Getting quality guys is much more important than having a large group of lower quality individuals. “The connections you will make because of your Kappa Sig experience will continually reward you in the long run.”
John can be reached at 678-488-1405 or [email protected].