Rodd McDanel ’77: the most last ties are the bonds we made

When Rodd McDanel ‘77 (roddmcdanel@yahoo.com) pledged to Kappa Sigma, he found “a very robust social energy there and a serious group of officers and alumni who put strong value on the local Penn State chapter and historical origins of Kappa Sigma.” 

He says that belonging to that group of brothers led to some of his best memories: pledging, the spring luau, homecoming, meeting with alumni and summer jobs.  

“Kappa Sig was also a very popular house to have bands playing “jammies” with one or two other fraternities,” he adds. 

He says that Kappa Sigma’s impact continued to be felt after his time at Penn State. “Right after graduation, I was interviewed by two men who were Kappa Sigma brothers from Washington and Jefferson, and Dartmouth. They worked at Alcan Cable in Williamsport, PA. The fraternal association that we had was certainly a factor that allowed me to meet these men. I was hired, too!” 

He says that giving back to Kapp Sigma is critical. “I feel that young men growing up and attending university at Penn State have a wonderful opportunity to mature with good morals and make lifelong bonds. Kappa Sigma was, and is, a fine fraternity that helps tremendously in guiding young men along these early pathways.” 

“Every Kappa Sigma generation that has come before us has seeded and helped those generations that follow, including ourselves. So we ought to trust and believe that our actions as predecessor generations will do the same as what was done for us as undergraduates.” 

“The Kappa Sigma brotherhood was very valuable to me in my maturing, more so that I realized at the time,” he says. “There were many fun times and loads of laughter, but the most lasting ties are the bonds. As brothers in heart through life we see how much this really means in the later years of life. 

Without Kappa Sigma, I wouldn’t have had a stabilizing association of brothers who so positively contributed to my early collegiate experiences.