• mySigEp
  • Shop
  • Giving Opportunities

Sigma Phi Epsilon

Building Balanced Men

  • About SigEp
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Chapters
    • Who We Are
      • National Fraternity
        • National Board of Directors
        • Committees and Task Forces
        • District Governors
      • Educational Foundation
      • SigEp National Housing
      • Headquarters Staff
      • Chapter Support
    • Strategic Plan
    • History & Facts
    • Prominent Alumni
    • Get Involved
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • The SigEp Experience
    • Balanced Man Program
    • SigEp Learning Communities
    • National Programs
      • Springboard: A Series to Launch You Into SigEp Leadership
      • National Transition Retreat
      • Carlson Leadership Academies
      • Ruck Leadership Institute
      • Tragos Quest to Greece
      • Career Coaching
      • Life After College
      • Grand Chapter Conclave
      • Live Your Oath
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Service-learning
    • Membership Perks
      • Alumni
        • PCI Oral History Publication
      • Undergraduates
    • Awards
      • 2020-2021 Award Recipients
      • 2021 Conclave Award Recipients
  • Foundation
    • Give
    • Giving Options
      • Annual Fund
      • Board of Governors
      • Founders Day of Giving
      • Stock, Mutual Fund Gifts
      • Matching Gifts
      • Legacy Society
      • IRA Gifts
      • Donor Advised Fund Gifts
    • Grants & Scholarship Funds
      • Balanced Man Scholarships
      • Tuition Scholarships
      • Chapter Investment Funds (CIFs)
      • Restricted Fund Policies
  • Resources
    • Chapter Officers
    • Volunteers
      • Alumni Communication Program
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Parents
    • SigEp National Housing
    • Recruitment
      • Vice President of Recruitment
      • Mentor for Recruitment
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Substance-free Facilities
    • Member Safety
    • Officer Elections & Transitions
    • Standards & Bylaws
    • Off Script, On Purpose
    • Marketing & Branding
    • Social Media
  • Journal
    • Features
    • Fraternity News
    • Red Door Notes
    • Our Very Own Balanced Men
    • Chapter News
    • Alumni & Volunteer News
    • Educational Foundation
    • Commentary
    • In Memoriam
    • Press Releases
  • Search
  • Give
  • /
  • Volunteer
  • /
  • Join
  • /
  • Learn More
  • About SigEp
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Chapters
    • Who We Are
      • National Fraternity
        • National Board of Directors
        • Committees and Task Forces
        • District Governors
      • Educational Foundation
      • SigEp National Housing
      • Headquarters Staff
      • Chapter Support
    • Strategic Plan
    • History & Facts
    • Prominent Alumni
    • Get Involved
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • The SigEp Experience
    • Balanced Man Program
    • SigEp Learning Communities
    • National Programs
      • Springboard: A Series to Launch You Into SigEp Leadership
      • National Transition Retreat
      • Carlson Leadership Academies
      • Ruck Leadership Institute
      • Tragos Quest to Greece
      • Career Coaching
      • Life After College
      • Grand Chapter Conclave
      • Live Your Oath
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Service-learning
    • Membership Perks
      • Alumni
        • PCI Oral History Publication
      • Undergraduates
    • Awards
      • 2020-2021 Award Recipients
      • 2021 Conclave Award Recipients
  • Foundation
    • Give
    • Giving Options
      • Annual Fund
      • Board of Governors
      • Founders Day of Giving
      • Stock, Mutual Fund Gifts
      • Matching Gifts
      • Legacy Society
      • IRA Gifts
      • Donor Advised Fund Gifts
    • Grants & Scholarship Funds
      • Balanced Man Scholarships
      • Tuition Scholarships
      • Chapter Investment Funds (CIFs)
      • Restricted Fund Policies
  • Resources
    • Chapter Officers
    • Volunteers
      • Alumni Communication Program
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Parents
    • SigEp National Housing
    • Recruitment
      • Vice President of Recruitment
      • Mentor for Recruitment
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Substance-free Facilities
    • Member Safety
    • Officer Elections & Transitions
    • Standards & Bylaws
    • Off Script, On Purpose
    • Marketing & Branding
    • Social Media
  • Journal
    • Features
    • Fraternity News
    • Red Door Notes
    • Our Very Own Balanced Men
    • Chapter News
    • Alumni & Volunteer News
    • Educational Foundation
    • Commentary
    • In Memoriam
    • Press Releases
  • Search
  • mySigEp
  • Shop
  • Giving Opportunities
Home / Features / Journal: Mutual fund pioneer, philanthropist, SigEp brother

November 27, 2013

Journal: Mutual fund pioneer, philanthropist, SigEp brother

Categories: Features

By Brady Wolfe, Drake '09

Jim Rippey, Oregon ’53, has modeled a Lifetime Responsibility of Brotherhood. He built a career and legacy that few achieve, and he never lost sight of his values or Fraternity.

A pioneer in the mutual fund industry, Rippey co-founded what would later become the largest money management firm in the Pacific Northwest. He began by offering Oregon their first mutual fund. When he sold his company – Columbia Management Company – in 1997, he had $22 billion under management and shareholders spread across the world.

Rippey grew up in the small, coastal town of Coos Bay, Ore. When he arrived at the University of Oregon, Jim found a group of men who shared his strong values and joined our Oregon Beta Chapter in 1950. A natural leader, he guided the chapter as president and house manager.

Jim’s leadership experience with SigEp served as training for the making of a career that helped change the landscape of global finance. He credits his time in the chapter with some early financial wisdom, but the words that ring loudest speak to Jim’s commitment to living SigEp’s values. “In my line of business, character is very highly regarded…our reputation at Columbia was always very high, and that carried us a long way.”

Jim also found in SigEp a place to learn timeless lessons on leadership. Reflecting on his years as a chapter officer, he recalled, “It gave me a lot of confidence and let me shine.” The most important lesson he learned? “Teams need to be able to pull in the same direction, that’s leadership,” Jim said. “Motivation is most important. You have to find ways to motivate others and create a team.”

A warm and magnetic personality, Jim is a natural team-builder. In fact, many on Jim’s “team” have been present since his undergraduate days at Oregon. He met his wife Shirley through a SigEp brother in his senior year of college and still counts fellow chapter brothers as some of his best friends. “I just got together with half a dozen fraternity brothers for a barbeque in August. Six of us, all in our 80s, meet a couple of times a year and pick up like we saw each other yesterday.”

Since retiring in 1998, Jim has been a dedicated advocate and philanthropist, supporting a number of nonprofits including the Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation, the University of Oregon, and his family’s foundation, the JFR Foundation. “Our purpose is children’s causes and education,” Jim said of his foundation’s philanthropic efforts. “That’s the future of our country; we are dependent on young people and education.”

 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to the SigEp Journal Online

SigEp’s online source for Fraternity news, feature stories and how-to articles for you and your chapter.

Features

Fraternity News

Red Door Notes

Our Very Own Balanced Men

Chapter News

Alumni & Volunteer News

Conclave Chronicle

Training in 10

Educational Foundation

Commentary

In Memoriam

Press Releases

Want to make a submission?

Have a story to tell? Please submit news today!

To have a brother or volunteer recognized in SigEp's In Memoriam section, please submit an obituary.

Recent Posts

  • Fraternity remembers the life of Citation recipient Arthur Peterson
  • SigEp Citation recipient Kent “Oz” Nelson remembered
  • SigEp volunteers and staff recognized for excellence in fraternity advising
  • The National Undergraduate Advisory Council, a new way to get involved
  • From Big Brother to Manager

Questions?

For questions regarding the SigEp Journal Online, please contact our Marketing & Communications Team.

For questions regarding the SigEp Journal, please contact Journal Editor Tyya Turner.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity

310 South Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 353-1901

Contact our staff.

About SigEp

  • Mission Statement
  • Who We Are
  • Our Chapters
  • Chapter Support

The SigEp Experience

  • Awards
  • History & Facts
  • Programs

Resources

  • Chapter Officers
  • Volunteers
  • Help Documentation