Sigma Chi - West Virginia University

Jeffrey "J" Prothero '81 once lost touch with Mu Mu Chapter for reasons he now regrets. Having lived in Pennsylvania after college, J visited Morgantown and found a deteriorating home in place of the vibrant, polished Sigma Chi chapter house he worked so hard to maintain as house manager. "I feared the values of the brotherhood had changed, and with growing disenchantment, I just walked away," he said. Years later as the capital campaign began, J shared his concerns with Lee Schalk '80. Lee shared a part of Mu Mu's history that J hadn't heard before: the house was so nice in their day because the alumni before them built it as their previous home declined with age. The new house would give brothers a quality place to stay and carry on the Sigma Chi legacy with dignity and pride. It was now time for today's alumni to do the same for the next generation. "I had never seen it that way—I felt shame as well as a lightbulb of opportunity," J said. "I didn't need to think about it any further; I was immediately on board." With a reignited devotion to the brotherhood that helped shaped him, J became a proud donor and volunteer to For 700 North High: The Campaign for Mu Mu. "It's an emotional project for me." AN INSPIRING CHAPTER HOUSE When J joined Sigma Chi at a friend's insistence, he found nothing short of class within their home: a quality chapter house with devoted members. He enthusiastically learned from all the brothers and the unique stories they brought to the chapter. "I think we all became more rounded from one another," he said. "Living together made us more calico rather than just having one color." As house manager, J worked tirelessly to keep the house as neat and beautiful as his first day. He was also inspired by the well-organized chapter meetings in which brothers showed decorum and respect while getting things done. Those lessons in productive leadership were instrumental in his business career. J started his first company, a group that painted houses, to pay his way through college. He founded his second company, Diversified Capital Credit Corporation in Atlanta, in 1989 and retired in 2014. Today, he is proudest of his third company: a nonprofit called Toolbox Inc., which guides elementary and middle school students through age-appropriate lessons in woodworking, framing, and electrical work in ten Georgia schools. "We've impacted thousands of kids' lives by teaching them how to build with their hands to become craftsmen, not just good workers," J said of Toolbox. "It's been the most rewarding part of my career and gives my life real purpose." PART OF A LEGACY In his limited free time, J has volunteered with the capital campaign committee and helped ask brothers to donate, no matter how much. To those who may hesitate for the same reasons J once did, he hopes they, too, will take to heart the lessons of Mu Mu's past. "We need to do for them what was done for us; it's our turn. We may be unknown to future brothers, but we will know we are doing the right thing. When you walked in that door, was it first class? They deserve no less in their new home; let's give it to them." J hopes to see your name on the donor list soon! To connect, you can reach him at jprothero@toolbox.LIFE. I T ' S O U R T U R N Why J Prothero '81 Returned to Support Mu Mu J Prothero '81 (right) sits next to International Sweetheart Lisa Cutcher Burlas at Mu Mu's 125th anniversary reunion. "We need to do for them what was done for us. It's our turn!" 3 | SIGMA CHI

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