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"Most guys click onto espn.com for a hobby, I do that for a living."
Those are the words of John M. Meyer, Allegheny ‘04, describing his job as a Sports Reporter/Photographer/Anchor for KCCI-TV in Des Moines, IA.
"If it wasn’t for the fraternity, I doubt I would have the job I have today," says Meyer over the phone from St. Louis, MO, where he was covering the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament in early March. |
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Meyer’s path to where he is today began while helping re-found the Pennsylvania Delta chapter at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA.
"If it wasn’t for Lloyd Segan, I don’t get my first internship," recounts Meyer. Segan, an alumnus from Allegheny and a Phi from Pennsylvania Delta, is a filmmaker and recommended John take an internship working with a project called Urban Challenge.
"Urban Challenge was something that had me traveling from city to city, non-stop," says Meyer. "Urban Challenge was a scavenger hunt, but on a national scale. I was always on the road."
Meyer credits that experience to landing a second internship with WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, PA.
"My first job interview was with a small, local cable channel. During the interview I was asked to read from a tele-prompter, which I had never done because I never took any broadcasting classes," says Meyer. "But I did well and I knew right there and then that I could make a career out of this."
From that small cable channel in Pittsburgh, Meyer moved onto Erie, PA to work for WSEE-TV as a Reporter and Weekend Anchor.
"It took a lot of hard work, but I also lucked out. That’s the nature of this business."
During his professional career Meyer has had the opportunity to interview many famous athletes and sports personalities that include: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, retired Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, current Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland, NHL star Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with baseball superstars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.
Even though Meyer was building his career of a journalist, he still made time to keep Phi Delta Theta in his life.
"While I was in Erie, PA, I served as an advisor to my chapter, which was only 40 minutes away."
So what was it like to be a re-founding father of a chapter?
"We were taking a huge risk back then. We had no money. We had no house. We had no members," says Meyer. "Then to tell people we were a dry-fraternity, they just laughed at us."
The effort as Pennsylvania Delta was miraculous as the group went from interest group to colony to chapter in just NINE MONTHS. Within three years, Pennsylvania Delta had 63 members and highest GPA on campus.
"Looking back, I can honestly say that whatever I put into the Fraternity, I got out twice-fold. The fraternity filled a void that existed after sports. I attempted to play football and baseball at the college level but injuries prevented me from doing so," says Meyer. "But the opportunity to start a fraternity was there and we haven’t looked back since."
Meyer attended the 2002 Emerging Leaders Institute as a colony member and credits that event as being an integral part in the re-founding process of Pennsylvania Delta.
"The Emerging Leaders Institute was a rewarding, eye-opening experience. You meet guys who are coming from different situations but are facing the same challenges. It was a great time to brainstorm together and realize ‘Hey, we can do this!’ It was a great motivational tool and helped us set goals.
Getting to sit in Elliot Hall, in the same room as our Founders, was a tremendous experience as well. It’s something I’ll never forget. I owe so much to Phi Delta Theta, because it gave so much to me." |
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