Pi Kappa Alpha - Mississippi State University

2 Keeping in touch with Pike is important to Niles, and he encourages both the actives and alumni to try to do so. To alumni he says, "Take the time to contact the chapter and get acquainted with the current members." He also hopes that the undergraduates will "enjoy every day, study hard, and stay in touch with your brothers after you are gone." Niles lives in Malaysia with his wife, Natcha Rattanawan, who is from Thailand. He has six children and seven grandchildren. He hopes that his young son, Wesley, and grandsons will aspire to be Pikes when they go to college. Niles enjoys playing golf, sailing, gourmet cooking, and reading, especially John Grisham novels. You can contact him at nilesjerry@gmail.com. Alumnus Maintains Pike Connections (Continued from page 1) A Lifetime of Brotherhood Rodger Johnson '67 Is Grateful for Gamma Theta Bonds R odger Johnson '67 has devised a system of prioritizing his life that he calls the Four F's: faith, family, friends, and fitness. At age 50, he ran his first marathon and his first triathlon at age 60. An active member on many corporate and nonprofit boards, Rodger says, "I don't know if I'll ever really retire." The brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha help to fulfill the third F, friendship. The efforts of Eddie Keith '67 to produce alumni e-mail updates for his era are a great way for the group to keep connected. His Gamma Theta brothers have been there for him through many of life's big events. "When my mother passed away last year at the age of 93, 10 of my fraternity brothers came in from all over the south to be at the funeral. These are the friendships that will go on your whole life," he said. Rodger participates in an annual duck hunt in St. Charles, Arkansas, with Gamma Theta alumni. The event is held as a memorial for Brother Tommy Anderton '67, who passed away in 2002. The event started as a small group and has grown into a social gathering with numbers nearing 50. "People have told me that it's amazing that we still get together and that we even have an interest in each other's lives," Rodger said. "It's a phenomenal opportunity that the brotherhood provides and something that I hope the men of the chapter realize; they are making friends for life." One of Rodger's favorite memories of his time in the chapter is the Christmas Open House event. "You would never believe a group of 18- to 21-year-old kids sponsored this event. It was the social highlight of the year." All the details were meticulously labored over by the chapter members to create a high-class event. "I remember we would go into the woods to cut greenery and hang it in the house. My mom and dad came and were blown away that a bunch of boys could put on an event like this." Everybody hoped to get an invitation to the Pike party of the year and rub shoulders with the Mississippi State University president, Starkville political leadership, and Pi Kappa Alpha alumni. Rodger has been impressed by the work ethic of the Gamma Thetas since day one. He admits that he was ambivalent about the Greek experience going into recruitment his freshman year, but was moved by the drive and motivation he saw in the members. "They worked hard during recruitment to show me why Pi Kappa Alpha was the best fit for me. I was impressed." "I would give the actives the same advice I give all my employees: work hard, have fun, and stay humble," he said. "You get out of something what you put into it, and in my opinion, most leaders in society today have fraternity background. We are the group of people looked to become leaders." Rodger graduated with a bachelor's in civil engineering and began a 13- year career with AT&T. He was impressed with the company's management development program. After leaving the company he went back to school for his MBA to "scratch an entrepreneurial itch." He has worked with struggling small businesses and start-ups in the application software field or communication industry. Most recently he built a broadband technology for Internet services. Rodger sits on the board of directors for JKC Holdings Inc., a private investment firm. Other board positions include the Mississippi State Engineering Board and Foundation. Gamma Theta had a large impact on Rodger's career path by helping him develop social skills and teaching him ways to get along with a diverse group of people working toward a common goal. The fraternity taught him about leadership and built confidence. "You had a lot of people that believed in you and you believed in them," he said. "Even to this day, I'd say that the fraternity had a great deal of influence on the path that my life took after college." Rodger and his wife, Jill, have been happily married for 44 years. "She used to come over to the fraternity house and play spades and was a member of the Dream Girl Court. She's still the love of my life after all these years," Rodger said. The couple lives in Sandy Springs, Ga., and has two daughters and seven grandchildren. You can contact Rodger at rodgerjohnson66@gmail.com.

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