Dear Ole Miss Family and Friends,

Fenton Kottkamp’s mom, Jane, and I have been inseparable best friends for almost 40 years. Our friendship is like pulling into your driveway after a long trip – that comforting feeling of being HOME. The loss of her son Fenton is a journey we will travel together for the rest of our lives. We will laugh, we will cry and we will continue to be best friends through it all.

Our favorite time at Ole Miss is sitting in the Grove when everyone has gone into the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the game. We take in the magic that can only be experienced by visiting in person. We have had so many conversations about how blessed her boys have been to attend Ole Miss. Each trip has allowed us to spend quality time with the great friends Fenton and his twin brother, Rush, have made during their time in Oxford. Fenton loved our visits and we created so many amazing memories.

Because of friends like you, the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship has exceeded its original goal of $60,580 and a new stretch goal has been set for $80,000. If this is met, Ole Miss will be able to provide a third annual scholarship in Fenton’s name to a Business or Accountancy student. As a bonus during the Nov. 21 Ole Miss-LSU game, the Papa John’s franchise in Oxford has generously offered to donate a dollar for every pizza sold to the campaign.

If you haven’t already made a gift, please consider supporting the campaign. Or, gather a group of friends and order up lots of pizza from Papa John’s while watching Ole Miss beat LSU. Remember to cherish your friends and the good times together.  

Hotty Toddy and #LoveFenton

Holly Turney

Dear Ole Miss Family and Friends,

On behalf of the entire Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, thank you for honoring our beloved brother Fenton Kottkamp through your gifts to his memorial scholarship. We are extremely grateful that his name will be forever linked to Ole Miss – the school and people he loved.

Thanks to your outstanding generosity, we have funded our original goal of $60,580! Last week, the stretch goal of $80,000 was announced and if that is achieved, we will be able to provide a third scholarship annually to a deserving Accountancy or Business student.

To jumpstart the new goal, $12,500 was added to this campaign from the John Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Fund in Kentucky that was created by the Kottkamp family immediately after Fenton passed away. The campaign has also been extended to Nov. 21, when the Ole Miss Rebels take on their rivals from the Bayou State – the LSU Tigers. During the much-anticipated matchup, a portion of all Papa John’s pizza sales in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will go to this scholarship endowment.

Losing Fenton has been particularly difficult for our fraternity, as Fenton is irreplaceable in our lives and in our organization. Not a day goes by that we don’t think about him or share a Fenton story. However, we believe he is watching over us, and we are grateful to everyone who has supported his scholarship. If you haven’t already done so, please give today to the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship, and order lots of pizza while watching Ole Miss beat LSU!

Hotty Toddy and #LoveFenton

Edward Lawton

Phi Kappa Psi President 2015

Mississippi Alpha Chapter

Dear Ole Miss Family and Friends,

Earlier this week, the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship hit its goal of $60,580. In fact, the campaign now has exceeded its goal! I join the Kottkamp family in expressing thanks for your great response. Because of your generosity, two students yearly will be able to experience Ole Miss in Fenton’s honor in perpetuity. This campaign’s success has brought comfort to everyone who loves Fenton, and your gifts made this possible.

During the Nov. 21 Ole Miss-LSU game, the Papa John’s franchise in Oxford has generously offered to donate a portion of the pizza sales from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to Fenton’s scholarship. With this in mind, we have decided to extend the project until 11:59 pm on Nov. 21. We will also be increasing our goal to $80,000, a level that will provide three annual scholarships! If you have not yet made a gift, please decide today to contribute to this worthy initiative, and purchase lots of Papa John’s pizza during the Ole Miss-LSU game! Fenton was always known to dress for the occasion, and Halloween was no exception. As you prepare your Halloween costume, I hope you'll carry a little bit of Fenton's holiday spirit with you.

Fenton always left his friends with hilarious memories and good stories to share. Halloween is a particularly special time to honor Fenton, and I hope you will remember this scholarship during your weekend celebrations.

It is a blessing and an honor to help expand the legacy of one of my best friends and, in turn, help future student leaders attend the Flagship University we all know and love. The University of Mississippi and Fenton Kottkamp have been known to change lives, and this is an opportunity to donate to a cause that will allow that spirit to continue for years to come.

Again, thank you for your incredible support thus far! Please help us achieve our stretch goal, and as always – please love one another.

God Bless & Hotty Toddy

Grady Nutt

2015 Senior Class President

Dear Ole Miss Family and Friends,

The Kottkamps are so grateful. We are proud to see the campaign to undergird the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship reach the 96% funded level. That’s truly incredible!!

A little back history… our family had never visited the state of Mississippi until our twin boys, Fenton and Rush, toured Ole Miss. That was all she wrote. This school has become our second home, and we love every minute of our time in Oxford and treasure the relationships we have built. Now our youngest son, Harrison, has followed in his brothers’ footsteps and is enrolled as an Ole Miss freshman.

Losing Fenton in his senior year at Ole Miss has been life changing, to say the very least. Through the creation of this scholarship in Fenton’s name, it is our hope that other deserving students and their families will have the opportunity to experience the education and friendships that our boys have gained at Ole Miss.

We feel so blessed that the John Schnatter and Archie Manning families took the initiative to set up this amazing tribute to our son and brother. Having Fenton’s name permanently linked with this fantastic institution he loved so deeply provides us with solace and comfort; we feel something positive and beautiful can come from this tragedy that has struck our family.

Heartfelt thanks go to all who have given generously thus far. We are overwhelmed by the great outpouring of love and support. We hope others will consider giving to #LoveFenton, as this scholarship continues to fill our hearts with hope rather than despair.

As always, please love one another.

All the best,

Jane and Stephen Kottkamp

Dear Ole Miss Family and Friends,

As educators, we want the best for our students. We want them to excel in and out of the classroom, and therefore we get invested in their overall wellbeing. I did not know Fenton as well as some students who were in my class, but by every indication Fenton was an excellent representation of the University of Mississippi and we were very proud of the man he was becoming. He was light-hearted and fun, but dedicated and hard working. He was a pleasure to be around and we were all looking forward to watching his future success unfold.

While this tragedy is difficult to accept, we can take comfort in knowing that Fenton’s memory will forever be linked to Ole Miss. We are grateful to Ole Miss Alumni, Olivia and Archie Manning, and Annette and John Schnatter of Papa John’s for establishing a scholarship in memory of Fenton that will benefit students of Accountancy and Business.

Please take a moment today to make a gift to the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship. Your gift will help build Fenton’s legacy and will give other students, in the School of Business and the School of Accountancy, the opportunity to experience the joy that he found here. We are so close to our goal and I know that with your help we will get there. Also, please consider becoming an ambassador of the campaign by sharing this page via email and on social media. #LOVEFENTON

Thank you,

Ken Cyree

Dean & Frank R. Day Chair of Banking

School of Business Administration

Dear Ole Miss Family and Friends,

An Ignite Ole Miss campaign was launched two weeks ago for the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship, and we are humbled by its success thus far. Great progress is being made in funding the scholarship and we appreciate all of your support. We are especially grateful for the leadership and generosity of John and Annette Schnatter of Papa John’s and Ole Miss alumni Archie and Olivia Manning, in establishing this scholarship endowment.

We in the Patterson School of Accountancy are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Fenton. His life had such a positive impact on the faculty and students in our School, as well as other members of the Ole Miss Family. Fenton was always friendly, cheerful, smiling and never in a bad mood. He had a great attitude and was instantly likeable because of his good nature. It was obvious that his parents, Jane and Steve Kottkamp, had raised him right. He was a fine young man and was exactly the type of student we want in our program and representing us as a graduate of our University. He was very proud to be part of the Patterson School of Accountancy, and he loved Ole Miss with all his heart. Were it not for the accident, Fenton would be aside his twin brother Rush right now pursuing the Master of Accountancy degree as well as with his younger brother Harrison, a freshman. All three Kottkamp sons should have been Ole Miss students together this fall.

Even though we miss Fenton being with us in physical form, I am at peace in the knowledge that he is with us spiritually. I am especially comforted knowing that Fenton’s spirit and character will continue to live on in Conner and Holman Hall and on our campus, through scholarships helping Ole Miss Accountancy and Business students.

Please take a moment today to make a gift to the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship as a way of investing in current and future generations of Ole Miss students through the spirit and character of Fenton. I hope you will also become an ambassador of this campaign by sharing this page via e-mail and on social media. Please join me and the Patterson School Family in honoring one of our own. #LoveFenton

Thank you in advance for your support and generosity.

W. Mark Wilder

Dean and KPMG Chair

Patterson School of Accountancy

Dear Ole Miss Family,

        The Ignite Ole Miss campaign that’s building my twin brother’s memorial scholarship has only been active for a week, and already more than $50,000 has been raised. That represents 82% of the $60,580 goal! (We set the $60,580 goal to represent a dollar for every seat in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.) To date, a total of 162 donors have given to expand his scholarship to this point. My family and I are so incredibly grateful for this amazing outpouring of support and hope you will encourage others to give to his scholarship and help others have educational opportunities at Ole Miss.

       Many thanks go to everyone involved in making this scholarship a reality, with special thanks to the Archie Manning and John Schnatter families, whose generosity and kindness have made the creation of this scholarship a reality. Words will never describe what this means to my family. I know Fenton would be proud and probably overwhelmed to have his name on a scholarship, and our family is comforted knowing his name will be forever linked to Ole Miss.

We love you, Fenton. Hotty Toddy!

Sincerely,

Rush Kottkamp

Dear Ole Miss Family,

Very simply, we miss Fenton Kottkamp, who should have been pursuing his master’s degree this fall in the Patterson School of Accountancy and enjoying this electrifying football season. Fenton was taken from the Ole Miss Family when a February accident claimed his life. As human beings, we can’t even begin to comprehend why this happened to one of our bright stars. Fenton was a fun, caring young man, whose enthusiasm for his family, friends and everything Ole Miss was heartwarming and inspiring. He went out of his way to be welcoming and kind to everyone he met on this campus.  

Today would have been Fenton’s 23rd birthday, and we are grateful to be presented with a unique opportunity to celebrate all the wonderful memories we have of this spirited Ole Miss student. John and Annette Schnatter of Papa John’s, and Ole Miss alumni Archie and Olivia Manning have created the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship Endowment. The Schnatter, Manning and Kottkamp families now have helped the University of Mississippi launch an Ignite Ole Miss campaign, with the hopes of building the scholarship endowment to a level that would award scholarships to both Accountancy and Business students. His twin brother, Rush, and younger brother, Harrison – students on our campus today – also are helping with this crowdfunding initiative.

We can’t comprehend Fenton’s passing, but we can decide how we will respond to this tragedy – how we will mark Fenton’s birthday. Today, I ask you to make a $23 gift on his 23rd birthday. Please know your action will make a considerable difference in future scholarship recipients’ lives and will let the Kottkamps know how much Fenton was loved. You can also make an impact by becoming an ambassador of this campaign: Share https://ignite.olemiss.edu/lovefenton via email and on social media.

Parents Jane and Stephen Kottkamp have said it means the world to them to know that other young people will be able to experience Ole Miss in Fenton’s name. In other words, Fenton’s star will continue to shine through others. Please join the Ole Miss family in reaching that goal.

#LoveFenton and Hotty Toddy!

Warmest regards,

Melinda J. Sutton, Ph.D.

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students