Sigma Chi - University of Florida

GAMMA THETA TIMES | 2 W ith over 20 years' experience at Turner Broadcasting (including meeting Ted Turner himself), John Kampfe '80 has had quite the unique career; nonetheless, being recognized as a Significant Sig was an astonishing experience. "It's truly humbling when I look at the accomplishments of the brothers who have also received this honor," he said. Joining the Brotherhood John visited several fraternities his freshman year, but he decided to wait a year to ensure he could balance his grades with the commitments of fraternity life. The following year, two of his friends from Jacksonville had joined Sigma Chi and helped guide him through recruitment in the winter quarter. Though John's time in the chapter house was shorter compared to some brothers, he has fond memories of chapter meetings, meals with brothers and their housemother, Mom Woods, and celebrating initiation and Derby Days. "I have always aspired to the values of Sigma Chi: Courage, Wisdom, Integrity, Ambition, Self-Control, Courtesy, and Fidelity," John said. "The brotherhood reinforced those values during my time at Florida, and I have tried to instill them in those that I have encountered in both my personal and professional life." Working with the Greats John had 22 great years at Turner Broadcasting System working as SVP, controller, and chief accounting officer as well as EVP and CFO later on. He personally interacted with Ted Turner at least a dozen times in those years—before each meeting Ted attended, he would walk around the table and introduce himself to each person he did not already know. About 10 years into John's career, he stood up to greet Ted at a meeting, who looked John in the eye and replied, "I know who you are." "In that moment, I knew I was going to have a long career at Turner," John said. Coincidentally, Ted's personal assistant was Dee Woods—the daughter-in-law of Mom Woods! He made sure to tell Dee how wonderful it was to have Mom Woods at Gamma Theta. John traveled to many incredible events while working at Turner—from holding the sound dish at an NFL game to attending Final Four and MLB playoff games to seeing the production activities for movies, the Open Championship at Turnberry, and the Conan O'Brien show—but one event he'll never forget was visiting CNN's master control room in Atlanta on the fateful morning of September 11, 2001, and watching the staff and on-air talent handle the unfolding tragedy. "All my personal experiences were enhanced by the fantastic professional people I worked with while I was at Turner Broadcasting," he said. The Brotherhood Endures While John has not kept in direct contact with many brothers since graduating, he has provided occasional financial support through the years. Then, a few years ago, Gamma Theta volunteers asked John for his support in sending the leadership team to the Balfour Leadership Training Workshop at Bowling Green State University. He accepted the invitation as an observer, meeting Sigma Chi brothers from all over as they discussed the fraternity curriculum and worked to install a new chapter at Bowling Green. Seeing such devotion to the fraternity inspired John to make an additional, more generous donation when he learned about Gamma Theta's capital campaign. "It's important that they have the facilities needed to develop future leaders and remain a top fraternity at Florida." As an alumnus, John is also thankful for the efforts of Bruce Barnes '80, who runs a mailing list with brothers from the late '70s and early '80s and organizes an annual weekend gathering in Gainesville. "I haven't made it to a reunion yet, but I really enjoy reading the emails from those brothers and hope to visit in person someday soon." Where Is He Now? John earned his CPA license about a year after graduating, and in 2013, he received the Distinguished CFO Award from the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association. Today, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and serves on the University of Florida Foundation Finance Committee. He has also worked with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, both on the international board and the local Georgia board; he considers these to be his biggest accomplishments. "I could not have enjoyed all these successes without the support of my wife, Jill," John said. "She has been my biggest supporter over the last 31 years." If you'd like to connect with John, he can be reached at jkampfe0264@aol.com. Preserving Our Core Values Why Gamma Theta Continues to Matter to Significant Sig John Kampfe '80 "I have always aspired to the values of Sigma Chi."

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