We are proud to share an Alumni Spotlight profile in each edition of The Illinois Sig. These men are strong leaders, accomplished in their field, and generous to those in their community. If you are interested in being our next Alumni Spotlight or would like to refer a fellow Kappa Kappa brother, let us know! Please contact our Account Manager, Kasey Breedlove, at [email protected]
Recent Kappa Kappa Alumni Spotlights
John Hinnen ’79
From the hometown of Peoria, Illinois, John graduated with a BFA in industrial design. As an active member, he served as the unofficial graphics chairman for several years. Today, he is the founder of the Bandit Ball Project and owner of Sundawg Design. He is also an organizer of the Peoria chapter of 1 Million Cups, a national entrepreneurial organization, and was recently awarded his fourth and fifth patents for the Bandit Ball and his snowball bat. John and his wife, Nancy, have been married for 34 years now, and they have three children: Kailee (age 31), Michael (deceased), and Nate (age 21), as well as four grandchildren. John and Nancy support several charities through the Bandit Ball Project, including the Jim and Trudy Maloof St. Jude Midwest Affiliate Clinic, the Beau Grant Foundation, and Samaritan’s Purse. He was previously involved in Peoria’s South Side Mission’s garden project, where his family helped to build hoop houses and planted and harvested food in underserved areas of the community. They currently attend Northwoods Community Church in Peoria.
Taylor Mason ’79
From the hometown of Beach Haven, New Jersey, Taylor served as pledge class president while an active chapter member. After graduating with his BA in agriculture from Illinois, he earned his MSA at the Medill School of Advertising at Northwestern University Evanston. Today, Taylor has enjoyed a career in entertainment for the last 30 years. He and wife Marsia have been married for nearly just as long and share two grown children. Taylor is committed to supporting Urban Promise and Compassion International. In his latest news: comedy special “Hysterical Perspective” can be streamed for free on any device. Download “Dry Bar Comedy” at the App Store and get the special, and newest book, “IRREVERSIBLE: The Life and Times of A Traveling Ventriloquist” (Xlibris Publishing, 2019) is out and available everywhere (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, etc.). Be sure to check it out!
Jordan Meadows ’18
Originally from Saint Charles, Jordan was accepted into the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School after high school. He graduated number one in the country at USMC Officer candidate school for highest grades in leadership, physical fitness and academics. While at Illinois, he served overseas during the spring of 2016 in operation Cold Response in Norway with 16 other NATO countries before graduating with a BS in kinesiology. As an active member, Jordan served in multiple house positions including consul—resulting in our chapter’s first Peterson award in 29 years—and he was elected as the “Chapter President of the Year.” Jordan was recently honored as the East Illinois Province Balfour Award winner for 2019. This May, he was commissioned from Sergeant to a 2nd LT in the Marine Corps. An entrepreneur, Jordan is also currently in the process of creating a business in the Kane County area with one of his Marine coworkers that deals with the sanitization of semi-trucks that handle food for human consumption.
Have Alumni News?
We want to hear from you! Send your personal updates, accomplishments, adventures, and photos to our account manager, Kasey Breedlove, at [email protected], or simply fill out the back of the enclosed gift form and return it in the mail. We want to share it in the next issue of The Illinois Sig!