Panthers: have you ever found yourself on the second floor of the Leatherby Libraries, between the Doy and Dee Henley Library of Social Sciences and the Donna Ford and Fahmy Attallah, Ph.D. Library of Arts and Humanities, gazing at a wall full of pictures of mountain climbers? You’ve encountered the Doti-Struppa Mountaineering Alcove, which honors the mountaineering passions of the Chapman community, especially President Daniele Struppa and President Emeritus Jim Doti. The pennant that usually resides in a case on the wall in that alcove has made a number of journeys up a wide variety of summits all over the world.

The pennant has recently returned to the alcove, after making yet another journey – one a bit closer to home, but no less impressive! Trustee Scott Chapman scaled El Capitan, a 3,600-foot vertical granite face located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, on June 6, 2017. First climbed in 1958, “El Cap,” as it’s affectionately known, is the international standard for big wall climbing. Scott Chapman summitted El Cap with the Chapman University pennant after a four-day climb with his guide, Greg Coit.

A man hangs from a cliff face, with a steep drop behind him. He is holding a red Chapman University pennant.

Scott Chapman holding the Chapman University pennant atop El Capitan.

Scott Chapman is the son of Trustee C. Stanley Chapman and great-grandson of university namesake C.C. Chapman.  An alumnus of McKinsey & Company, he co-founded Project Hosts, a successful computer business and consulting company which provides IT outsourcing.  The company lists Microsoft, Nextel and several Fortune 1000 companies as its clients. Scott is an avid mountain climber, having climbed Kilimanjaro, Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Rainier, Half Dome and many other peaks around the world (his climbs to the peaks of Mt. Whitney and the Cartensz Pyramid in Papua Indonesia are already commemorated in the Alcove). He is also a jazz pianist, having played since he was 8 years old. Scott received his undergraduate degree from Yale in physics and then acquired a doctorate in physics from UC Berkeley.  After graduation, he traveled Europe and later led talks at physics conferences around the world. He also taught math in India. He and his wife Katie live in Sunnyvale with their two children, Kelsey (class of ’18) and Johnny (class of ’20). Scott is a member of the Board of Trustees of Chapman University and serves as the chair of the newly created Digital Resources Committee.

A woman (left) and man (right) stand posed for the camera.

Scott and Katie Chapman.

On May 15th, at the inaugural meeting of the new Digital Resources Committee, Dean of the Leatherby Libraries Charlene Baldwin presented Scott Chapman with his own copy of the plaque with his excellent photo, which has now taken its place on the wall in the Doti-Struppa Mountaineering Alcove. Come on by and study near it – perhaps it will inspire you to be the one to take the pennant to its next great height!

A woman stands on the left, looking at a man standing on the right, who is talking and holding a plaque.

Dean Baldwin presents Scott Chapman with the plaque celebrating his climb.