The SPHINX | Winter 2011 | Volume 96 | Number 1

The

WINTER 2011 * VOLUME 96 H NO. 1

an m s os D ley Cur

son y T e s Jes

lmes Richard L. Ho

iams l l i nce W a r r Te

mack Chris Wo

Alpha Phi Alpha

Sapp n a V

orley C d d o T

Hitting home runs in the game of world business

es Leonard Jam

een r G d Floy

ALPHA IN UNIFORM: Keeping us safe at home and abroad

lmore i G g u a Cr

per o o C rice u a M

BROTHER’S KEEPER: Introducing Alphas new national program

ns Robert Haga

HANSEN CLARKE: 7 Questions with Alpha’s new congressman

JEWEL HENRY ARTHUR CALLIS

JEWEL HENRY ARTHUR CALLIS

In later years, pictured with fellow alumni of Cornell University’s class of 1909.

CONTENTS THE SPHINX® H WINTER 2011 H VOLUME 96 H NO. 1

8 In War and Peace, an Alpha is On the High Seas

The U.S. Navy’s latest Arleigh Burke-class destroyer began full-active service in January, carrying the name of one of the most celebrated African-American naval officers in U.S. history—Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr.

11 Meet America’s New Ambassador for Babies Seven-year-old Lauren Fleming spent the first five months of her life struggling to survive in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at North Carolina hospital.

At 26 weeks, she weighed two pounds, one ounce; and doctors prepared her parents for the worst. But now she’s the national ambassador for the March of Dimes and making every day count.

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23 An All-Star Team that’s Breaking Records and Barriers They may not be Kobe, Lebron, Vick or McNabb, but these men are making all the right moves to win big; because in the game in which they’re competing, you don’t get a seventh-inning stretch or a half-time break.

Corporate business is a major-league sport, and Alpha Phi Alpha shows off its starting lineup.

43 Are You My Brother’s Keeper?

For many seniors and others who need care, maintaining their homes and adapting to their changing needs is a challenge, both physically and financially. Alpha members are not just talking about the problem, they’re doing something about it. With breakneck speed, fraternity brothers are giving a whole new meaning to “Brother’s Keeper,” and showing you don’t have to be a “brother” to be kept.

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11 Alpha Phi Alpha

40 7 QUESTIONS for Hansen Clarke In The Sphinx interview, Alpha Phi Alpha’s newest member of Congress tells how he made it from the streets of Detroit, Mich., to an Ivy League university in Ithaca, N.Y., to the Michigan state legislature, and now to Capitol Hill.

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FROM THE GENERAL PRESIDENT

Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. Midterm and still so much to do in the Mason administration

It

is hard to believe that I have reached the halfway point of my term (or as it is called on Capitol Hill, the midterm). It seems as if I was just running across the country on the campaign trail, trying to urge brothers to join me in renewing the beliefs of the beloved Seven Jewels. Now the quest is on for the 34th general president. Best wishes to these brothers. However, there is still work for the Mason administration to do.

At this point, I have reviewed my goals, objectives, and revisited my platform and promises. I want to make sure that I am on course to complete the task I set forth and conveyed during the campaign to be the 33rd general president.

I have also used this time to engage the board of directors in reviewing our strategic plans and to examine ways to infuse more energy, creativity and efficiency into our organization. We also continue to strive for more financial resources and transparency. I am so proud that we are expanding globally, establishing chapters abroad. The recent trip to South Africa was life-changing. The seeds of Alpha have taken great root.

I also continue to rely on the inspiration and voices from the Jewels and others from our past as I travel across the world. I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to visit all of the final resting places of our beloved Jewels. This had been a goal of mine for many years, and it has been reached.

Now I travel to touch and tap into the spirit of the 24 deceased past general presidents as they speak to me. The resounding message that I hear, and that I convey to the brothers, is “stay on course because we are walking in divine order.”

Over the next few months, the fraternity will experience unprecedented milestones as we retrace the steps of Brother Martin Luther King Jr. We shall go to Birmingham and Selma, Ala., Memphis, Tenn., Chicago, and on to Washington, D.C., for the unveiling of the King memorial in August. We shall evoke that good ol’ Alpha spirit at each of our regional conventions. We will encourage the prodigal sons to return back to the House of Alpha.

To our college brothers, please know that you remain at the heart of everything we do. These next two years will be devoted to you—to live Alpha in the spirit of CALLIS (College Alphas Learning Leading Inspiring Serving). H

Mason at the final resting place of Jewel Eugene Kinckle Jones in Flushing, N.Y. Photo by Bryan J.A. Kelly.

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Mason at Nelson Mandela’s jail cell on Robbin Island in South Africa. Photo by Bryan J.A. Kelly.

FROM THE GENERAL TREASURER

Hyacinth C. Ahuruonye, CPA Fiscal Transparency and Attention to Detail is Key to Financial Stability

It’s

hard to believe that I’m in the middle of my second year in office. July 2009, when I was elected at the New Orleans General Convention, still seems like yesterday!

As 2011 is upon us, and moving fast, I thought that it might be helpful and useful to take an inventory of where we are now and where we are heading—from a fiscal standpoint. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.’s financial condition continues to be a great work in progress as we deploy best practices. We have a number of initiatives underway, including cost containment and streamlining procurement procedures; strengthening the infrastructure; exploring and implementing membership reclamation and retention initiatives; and seeking and securing external and strategic revenue generation among other strategies.

Arguably, executive leadership and management can always improve the deliverables while sharpening its scalpel for enhanced membership and stakeholder experience. Since 2009, I have advocated for, and now still champion the need for us to continue to institutionalize financial accountability, transparency and spending controls to safeguard our assets and resources. We have codified several policies and procedures to provide guidance and clarity. We continue to work with our vendors and service providers to extract cost reductions and to streamline project- and event-management. We are making steady progress.

However, make no mistake, challenges abound! Thus, creative and outside-thebox-thinking approaches must be explored, while decisions must be reevaluated continuously for optimal results.

The constitutionally mandated role of the general treasurer is to properly safeguard all monies, funds and securities of the General Organization. I continue to discharge the duties of my office by assisting in creating an internal control environment that is responsive, transparent and accountable. My duty also includes enhancing the value of our financial assets by deploying best industry practices for risk mitigation, asset appreciation, and assisting in adhering to organizationally sanctioned resource utilization mandates.

I’m proud to proclaim that despite the economic downturn and challenging financial conditions, we have not suffered any major erosion in our financial assets.

We assertively monitor trends and take swift action when necessary.

For the first time in the organization’s recent history, the executive leadership provided timely financial profiles during the 2010 regional conventions. This allowed Hyacinth C. Ahuruonye, CPA, is members an opportunity to review and evaluate the financial statements and ask general treasurer of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. pertinent questions while providing critical feedback and suggestions. I believe that transparency and timely dissemination of financial records is absolutely critical in generaltreasurer@apa1906.net creating member goodwill and stakeholders’ buy-in into the shared vision, goals and objectives of the fraternity’s elected leadership.

While I understand the angst of some members about the effectiveness of our cost-containment commitments, especially within the context of the current economic conditions, I want to emphasize that certain expenditures are absolutely necessary and critical for us to fulfill our mandate. As a membership-based organization, we are continually challenged by limited resources because of poor membership-retention profile, lack of adequate external financial support, risk-mitigation constraints and topsy-turvy economic trends.

Alpha still matters. Our service, leadership and advocacy are still needed by our local and global communities. There is so much work to be done in the vineyard and beyond. I urge inactive members to rejoin the House. I encourage our corporate and strategic partners to continue to invest in Alpha for better communities.

Alpha needs and appreciates your time, talent and treasure! H

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IN EVERY ISSUE 2 GENERAL OFFICERS’ LETTERS 5 EDITOR’S DESK 6 NEWS 31 CHAPTER NEWS 40 7 QUESTIONS 41 INITIATIVES 48 ARTS AND CULTURE 49 BROTHERS ON THE MOVE 55 OMEGA CHAPTER 60 LEADERSHIP DIRECTORY

The

Organizing Editor RAYMOND W. CANNON (1892-1992) Organizing General President HENRY LAKE DICKASON (1886-1957) Official Organ of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.® Winter 2011 – Volume 96, No. 1

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RICK BLALOCK rlblalock@apa1906.net EXECUTIVE EDITOR Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ezzard C. Rolle, Jr. ASSOCIATE EDITORS Marvin H. Bailey Jr., Jabriel S. Ballentine, David C. Brown Jr., Russell J. Bunn Blaine Casanave, Chase-Julian Vernell Cheatham, Reginald Cooper, Troy Anthony Corbin Sr. Dennis A. Dean II, Dennis A. Doster, Leonard Le’Doux Jr., Audwin B. Fletcher Darrell V. Freeman, Ruben L. Freeman, Byron J. Grayson, Reynaldo P. Green Troy D. Griffin, Bernard M. Harris, Shaun Harris, James E. Hale II, Kenneth D. Hale Phillip C. Hayes, Terry L. Hazzard, Jonathan Hill, Jerret Holmes, Lee House Kemar Hunter, John W. Huggins, Drevon Jones, James E. Jones Jr. Jonathan C.W. Jones, Samuel H. Lloyd, Don Marshall, Robert A. Massey Roscoe W. McClain Jr., Calvin McNeill, M.D., Willie R. Mickell Jr., Renard Mobley Anthony Moore III, Blake Moorman, James A. Muhammad, Jeramaine O. Netherly Herbert Olivier, Garrison Owens, Carlos M. Parker, Philip E. Parker, Jimmie M. Peterson Trevor G. Piper, Freddie Player, Frisco Pullom, Michael D. Rachal, Ainsley A. Reynolds Damion Sean Samuels, Zahmu Sankofa, Kristian M. Sawyers Derrick L. Sibert, Karl J. Simon, Hamardo Sinclair, Julian Smart, De’Shawn Smith Steve Smith, Victor K Smith, Ross Stuckey, Bryan Thompson, Leemar Thorpe Charles M. Washington, Martinez White, Jeremy Wilkerson, Shelby Willis George Wimberly, Gabriel Winzer, Gerald Yerby

COPY EDITOR K. Thomas Oglesby

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Bryan J.A. Kelly, William Douglass Lyle, Don Weston

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Since the founding of The Sphinx in 1914, the African-American community has looked to the publication for its profound insight on issues of the day. The Sphinx is the world’s second-oldest con­tinuously published African-American magazine in existence and is preserved in libraries and archives across the country as an historical record of community occurrences and the great issues of the day.

Those interested in writing articles for The Sphinx are encouraged to read the writer’s guidelines at www.apa1906.net, or write the editorial office for a printed copy of the guidelines at The Sphinx Editorial Offices, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., 2313 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD 21218-5211.

You may also request guidelines and instructions via direct e-mail at sphinx@apa1906.net.

The deadline for submissions for upcoming issues is 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on the following dates: Spring, April 15; Summer, June17; Fall, August 12; and Winter 2012, October 22.

The Sphinx® is printed in the United States of America

SENIOR WRITERS Ellis Albright, Waldo E. Johnson Jr., Derrick Alexander Pope, Ron Peters Andrew Timothy Siwo, F. Carl Walton CONTRIBUTING WRITERS U. Grant Baldwin Jr., James E. Ball, Mark Barnes, Ferrel Bonner, Jean G. Celestin Jean McGianni, Celestin, James Crumel, Aaron Crutison, Rashid Darden Horace Dawson, Nicholas Fletcher, Ira L. Foster, Esq., Joseph Gambrell, M.D. Antoine M. Garibaldi, Justin Harlow, Ronald C. Jackson, Ricardo R. Jefferson M. Cole Jones, Khouri Marshall, Michael John Myers II, Quincy O’Neal Lowell W. Perry, Jr., James V. Pierce, Michael A. Smith, M.D., Roderick Smothers Zollie Stevenson, Bradley D. Thomas, Mark Tillman, Norman E.W. Towels Ronnie Versher Jr., Marques Wilkes, Sacoby Wilson CONTRIBUTORS Hyacinth C. Ahuruonye, Don M. Alameda, Cory J. Anderson, Mark A. Anderson Edward D. Anthony III, Michael E. Armour, Larry Armstrong, Kenneth Avery Marco Barker, Kengie Bass, Brandon Batts, Dominique Beaumonte, Will Bell Mark Brown, Rodney Cash, Keith Chaney, Tony Cheatham, Bobby Clark Charles C. Davis Jr., Milton C. Davis, Reginald Davis, Stanford L. Deckard, II Delores Diggs, Arthur Doctor, William Doctor, Horace Dukes, Von Eaglin Michael Feeney, Audwin B. Fletcher, Nicholas Fletcher, James Ford, Everette Garmon Ray Gittens, Gregory Glass, Henry Goodgame Jr., Larry Goodwin, Anthony Graham Henry Green, Carlton L. Haithcox Sr., James Hale, K.D. Hale, James Hammond Randy Hall, Brandon Hamilton, Eric E. Heath, Lewis C. Hicks, Billy J. Hill Ronnie Horne, Curtis Horton, Reginald Howard, Ajani B. Husbands, Maurice Hurry Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Jeffrey, Michael Jenkins, Richard T. James Jr., Brandon Johnson David M. Johnson, Emile Johnson, Kevin R. Johnson, Michael T. Johnson Franklin L. Jones, Jabari Jones, James Joyce, Issam Khoury, Eric King, Fonzell King Christi A. Landry, Claude Anthony Legree III, Eufrancia G. Lash, Anthony Lewis Antwan-La’Mont Lofton, Dale Long, Donald Lowrance, Tommie Mack Whittaker Mack III, Johnnie MacTwine Sr., Jonathan D. Madison Darryl R. Matthews Sr., Theo McClammy, Terence McPherson, Jeremy Mercer Ryan Eian Middleton, Matthew Miles, Paul B. Mohr Sr., Blake Moorman Demetri Morgan, Gordon C. Murray, Esq., Gary C. Nash, Keith Nelson Kedrick Nicholas, Gary D. Oliver, Jon Pack, Chris Palmer, Philip Parker Clinton R. Parks Jr., Thomas Pawley, Dameon Proctor, Charles V. Piphus Jr. Napoleon Richardson Jr., Ernest Jacob Rieux, Oz Roberts, Victor Robinson Vernon Ross Jr., Mark Scott, Michangelo Scruggs, John C. Shelby, Geoffrey R. Shiloh Benny Smith, Hilton O. Smith, Langston D. Smith, Marcus B. Stallworth Brandon M. Stark, Robbie Stokes, Henry Stovall, Michael Street, James Stukes Michael E.M. Sudarkasa, Rickey Thigpen, Ralph Thomas, Anthony Thompson Sherelle S. Torrence, Marvin Turner, Perrye Turner, Rayburne Turner Simon Valcin Jr., Darius White, Orrin White, Michael Williams, Rodney Williams T. Nelson Williams II, Zachery R. Williams, Corey Wilson Rhonda Workman, Kim Wright-King, Christopher Wyckoff, Billy Yarbrough

ART DIRECTION THE O’NEAL GROUP Toni O’Neal Mosley Michelle Glennon

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PHOTOGRAPHERS Alonzo S. Blalock, Rickey Brown, Jarvis Harris Bryan J.A. Kelly, Jeff Lewis, Jason Lewis Philip McCollum, Oz Roberts, Cory Thompson, Jamal Wiggins Christopher Williams, Evelyn Wright ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., General President William Douglass Lyle, Executive Director James W. Ward, Chairman, Committee on Publications FOUNDERS Henry Arthur Callis Charles Henry Chapman Eugene Kinckle Jones George Biddle Kelley Nathaniel Allison Murray Robert Harold Ogle Vertner Woodson Tandy The Sphinx Editorial Offices Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 2313 St. Paul St. • Baltimore, MD 21218-5211 (410) 554-0040 . • (410) 554-0054 FAX . • www.alpha1906.net Advertising and Sales Contact: sphinx@apa1906.net © 2011 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. All rights reserved.

A new year, with new challenges and new opportunities

As the world

watches the events unfold in Libya and other hot spots around the world, we are reminded how important the role military can play in our lives. Defending freedom and liberty in the U.S. and around the world can often be a thankless gig. However, many men and women do it day in and day out. In our NEWS section we highlight several of the warriors who have risked their lives for us—whether in Afghanistan or Iraq, or in battles from years gone by. We take special note of the naming of a Navy destroyer for an Alpha man and we celebrate the brother who is America’s top military man in NATO.

Editor’s Desk

In our cover story we salute some of the men who have made corporate business their vocation—not just by punching a clock, but being the men who lead, who set the strategies where they work. This SPECIAL REPORT on Alpha’s Corporate All-Stars shows how Alpha brothers are proving their worth and value to multinational companies all around the world. The corporations are taking note. They understand that it doesn’t matter what color the executive is, so long as he or she produces more green. Our All-star list is just a “starting lineup” as there’s not enough ink or trees to list the many more AfricanAmerican men who are breaking barriers and records each and every day.

You’ll also find several stories about Alpha members in higher education and the legal profession in this issue. Keeping the trend en vogue in the 21st century several Alphas are new college presidents and vice presidents.

On a personal note, festive holiday seasons may come and go, but their memories are timeless—especially when you are spending time with family and loved ones.

This past holiday I had the opportunity to take my 80-years-young dad, step-mom, nephew and a few close friends, to the White House for Christmas. It was truly a memorable visit and it meant the world to my father to actually go inside the White House and meet members of the president’s staff. He never imagined he would ever do that, but now he has. I trust and hope that each of you will have the chance to do something special, for someone special in your life too! H

With painting of President Abraham Lincoln in the background, the Blalocks in the White House State Dining Room in Washington, D.C. From left: Rick Blalock, John J. Blalock II, Retha Wells and John L. Blalock.

Rick Blalock is a two-time Emmy® winner and editor of The Sphinx. sphinx@apa1906.net

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NEWS

Alpha members on duty at the International Security Assistance Force headquarters and Camp Eggers in Afghanistan. From left: Brothers Will Wright, Johnnie Walker, Trevor Garrett, Douglas Pulley, Joseph Shannon, T.A. Warren and Colon Taylor.

Alpha brothers pose while on duty at New Kabul Compound in Afghanistan. From left: Brothers Gregory Sanders, Tommy Weldy, Reginald Belton, James Bryant, Dennis McCallum and Mark Brown.

Serving in America’s Longest War Brotherhood Put to the Test in Afghanistan

By Johnnie Walker and Mark Brown

IT HAS BEEN A YEAR since the spring 2010, when American GIs, several of them Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity members, ran into some of the greatest violence against coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The war, dubbed by many as the “longest war,” began in October 2001, and surpassed the Vietnam War (which lasted 103 months) in June 2010, as America’s longest tenure of fighting.

The war’s center of gravity and focus remains at the heart and minds of the Afghan people—and not solely force on force, terrain or kinetic events. This is a counter-insurgency war, a different war. American service men and women are proudly serving their nation, representing the best of the five U.S. military services: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Additionally, Alpha brothers have been providing direct military support while serving as government civilians and contractors. Where there are military decisions made, you find Alpha men engaged at the highest levels of leadership, developing solutions, implementing plans, and leading the cause.

The Experiment With the understanding that the Jewels began perfecting the notion of brotherhood more than 104 years ago, brothers put the experiment of brotherhood to test in Afghanistan. They had plenty of time to do it—most of them served a six- to 18-month

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deployment with few days of vacation time. Fifteen Alphas were inserted into the capital city of a war-torn country and subjected to unfavorable and unfamiliar conditions. It proved difficult to uphold the challenges of being an Alpha while executing the war with daily missions—not to mention still trying to maintain family connections with loved ones back home in the United States.

The Conditions The brothers lived and worked within a three-mile radius of each other in Kabul, Afghanistan. Three brothers were located at the headquarters, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF); six at Camp Eggers and six at New Kabul Compound (NKC). The compound holds up to 2,000 people. They were generally overcrowded and approximately the size of a small apartment complex. If not living in tents, the service members shared rooms. Workdays were typically 12 to 16 hours, seven days a week, including holidays. Periodically, brothers faced small-arms fire, mortar and rocket attacks, suicide bombers, insurgent attacks and natural disasters. When traveling outside of their compounds they put on body armor and helmets, grabbed their weapons, jumped in armored vehicles—and said a prayer.

Developing Leaders Brothers provided leadership and direction to subordinates while developing plans and executing orders. Some of these Alpha

NEWS

Alpha brothers on duty in Afghanistan distribute books to children in Kabul.

men included: Army Lt. Col. Gregory Sanders, a Joint Staff comptroller; Navy Lt. Ternarian A. “T.A.” Warren, who worked with the Combined Joint Intelligence Operations CenterAfghanistan International Influence Team; Air Force Capt. Joseph Shannon III, an executive officer who managed manpower requirements for a directorate that managed a $20 billion budget; Marine Corps Maj. Colon Taylor, a strategic communication analyst; Army Maj. Trevor Garrett, a deputy director of Personnel Management Programs; Will Wright, a contract program manager who taught Afghans basic maintenance repair functions for ground tactical radios; Army Lt. Col. Dennis C. McCallum Jr., who was chief of force integration in the Force Management Division; Army Maj.Tommy Weldy, a force generation officer; and Lt. Col. James B. Bryant, a deputy director of commercialization

Promoting Brotherhood and Excellence During their deployment, the Alpha men held informal meetings called “brotherhood smokers” which provided much needed support and encouragement for each other. They shared professional and personal advice, books and music; they also celebrated birthdays, promotions, and other significant events while reminiscing on “college days that swiftly pass.”

Many say it was their fraternal bond that enabled them to make it through their deployment. And they did all while conducting authentic Alpha programs, including distributing books to Afghan children, providing humanitarian assistance and maintaining cultural relevance. The brothers made it a point to participate in events such as Martin Luther King Day programs and Black History Month and Juneteenth programs. H

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Johnnie R. Walker Jr. is a spring 1991 initiate of Alpha at Eta Gamma Chapter at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1995. He currently is a member of Theta Delta Lambda Chapter in El Paso, Texas. A major in the U.S. Army, he was deployed to Afghanistan in early 2010. Presently, he is an operations research and systems analyst, assigned to the Army Evaluation Center at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Mark W. Brown is a major in the U.S. Army, stationed at Forces Command at Fort McPherson, just outside Atlanta, Ga., where he is the commanding officer of the Atlanta Personnel Assistance Point for R&R Flights from Kuwait at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

He was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, at the New Kabul Compound, from January to July 2010. A 1988 initiate of Alpha at Mu Pi Chapter at Baptist College in Charleston, S.C., he earned a bachelor’s degree from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. Brown also holds a Master of Arts degree from Webster University in Webster Groves, Mo.

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NEWS

Navy’s Latest Warship Named in Honor

Vice Adm. Brother Samuel L. Gravely Jr.

THE U.S. NAVY’S latest Arleigh Burkeclass destroyer began full-active service in January, carrying the name of one of the most celebrated African-American naval officers in U.S. history—Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. Gravely was born in 1922 in Richmond, Va., and spent two years at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va., where he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity at Gamma Chapter. After college he enlisted in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in September 1942 and was trained as a fireman apprentice. In 1943, he participated in the Navy V-12 program, which was designed to select and train naval officers. In December 1944, Gravely successfully completed midshipman training, becoming the first

U.S.S. Gravely (DDG 107) during sea trials in June, 2010.

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African-American commissioned officer from the Naval ROTC. With a host of military and civilian dignitaries present, the Navy commissioned the U.S.S. Gravely (DDG 107) on Nov. 20, 2010, in Wilmington, N.C. In May 2009, with more than 2,000 guests in attendance, the spirit and legacy of Brother Gravely was heralded as his wife Alma Gravely christened the destroyer during the ship’s christening ceremony in Pascagoula, Miss.

“He would be very happy, but you wouldn’t really know it too much when you talked to him because he wasn’t one to brag or do anything like that,” Gravely told cable news station News 14 Carolina.

Admiral Gravely spent more than 38 years in the Navy, during which he

NEWS

of Alpha Brother, Naval Legend achieved many firsts—thus the motto of the ship named in his honor: “First To Conquer.”

He was the first African American to: command a U.S. Navy warship, the destroyer USS Theodore E. Chandler (DD 717); command a U.S. Navy warship in combat, the destroyer USS Taussig (DD 746) and command a major U.S. warship, the guided-missile cruiser USS Jouett (CG 29).

He was also the first black military man promoted to flag rank in the Navy;

first to rise to the rank of vice admiral, and the first to command a numbered U.S. fleet, the U.S. Third Fleet.

In 1949, Gravely was recalled to active duty as part of the Navy’s response to President Harry S. Truman’s executive order to desegregate the armed services. Before taking to the sea, Gravely started out as a Navy recruiter, working to enlist African-Americans in the Washington, D.C., area. His last tour of duty, before his retirement in 1980, was his serving as director of the

Defense Communications Agency in Washington, a shore assignment in which he oversaw the communications network linking Washington with American and allied bases worldwide.

Gravely’s personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal and Navy Commendation Medal.

He died Oct. 22, 2004, in Bethesda, Md., and is enshrined in the fraternity’s chapter of sweet rest, Omega Chapter. H

Alma Gravely christens the U.S.S. Gravely on May 16, 2009, in Pascagoula, Miss.

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NEWS

In Camp Fallujah, Iraq, local sheiks listen to then U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Brother Walter E. Gaskin, commanding general of Multi-National Forces West, on Jan. 16, 2008.

Lt. Gen. Brother Walter E. Gaskin

Gaskin Marks One Year at NATO

Decorated Three-Star Marine Helps Lead Alliance FOR THE PAST YEAR, while the United States and other Western countries have engaged in military missions around the globe, world leaders have counted on Lt. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin for guidance and counsel. On March 22, Brother Gaskin celebrated his one-year anniversary as deputy chairman of the Military Committee for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed in 1949.

Gaskin, a Marine, was promoted a year ago, in March 2010, from major general to his three-star rank, along with his NATO appointment.

As deputy chairman of the Military Committee he holds the secondhighest military position in the alliance of Western democratic nations and is the highest-ranking American in uniform at NATO.

The Military Committee, comprised of military representatives and member states’ chiefs of defense, is the senior military authority in the alliance and is the primary source of military advice to NATO’s civilian decision-making bodies, the North Atlantic Council and the Nuclear Planning Group. Based at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, its advice is sought prior to any authorization for military action and, consequently, represents an essential link between the political decision-making process and the military structure of NATO. Gaskin is a key link in that chain.

A longtime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Gaskin was initiated at Delta Eta Chapter at Savannah State University (SSU) in Savannah, Ga.

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“He continues to make his fellow brothers from Delta Eta Chapter proud,” said Ellis Albright, Georgia district director for Alpha and a Delta Eta alumnus.

Before assuming his NATO post, Gaskin served as the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C., from June 2006 until July 2008. He also served as the commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), of which he led its deployment to Al Anbar Province, Iraq, as the commanding general of Multi-National Forces West.

Having a career than spans four decades of service, Gaskin has been vice director of The Joint Staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; the commanding general of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command in Quantico, Va., and chief of staff of the Naval Striking and Support Forces-Southern Europe.

A 1974 graduate from SSU’s Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Program with a Bachelor of Science degree, Gaskin also earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., in 1992.

He also completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. His professional military education includes The Basic School and Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico, Va.; the United States Army Command and Staff College in Leavenworth, Kan.; and the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pa. H

NEWS

Daughter of Alpha named 2011 March of Dimes National Ambassador SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Lauren Fleming of Marvin, N.C., who spent the first five months of her life struggling to survive in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., has been selected as the March of Dimes (MOD) 2011 national ambassador. The announcement made in January at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, makes her and her family the public face of the MOD and its various campaigns for 2011.

Fleming is the daughter of Alpha Phi Alpha’s 2009 national alumni brother of the year, Densel Fleming, and his wife Nikki, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. As national ambassador, she will travel the country with her family to share her amazing story, help raise awareness of premature birth and encourage families and companies to walk with them in March for Babies in the spring.

Fleming was born in 2004. At 26 weeks, she weighed two pounds, one ounce; and doctors prepared her parents for the worst. During her five-month stay in the NICU, she was treated for respiratory distress and underwent multiple surgeries related to a damaged vocal cord and a heart defect. After coming home, she thrived, and today is a warm and loving six-year-old who makes friends easily. She loves to draw, create story books and read.

“The March of Dimes has led the way in funding research, treatments and programs to prevent premature birth,” said her dad Densel. “This essentially saved the life of our daughter and helped our other children, Erin and Corbin, be born full-term and healthy.”

“When Lauren was born, she did everything doctors said she wouldn’t be able to do, like cry and breathe on her

2011 March of Dimes National Ambassador Lauren Fleming (at far right) with her father Densel, mother Nikki, little sister Erin and baby brother Corbin in North Carolina.

own,” said mom Nikki.

“I knew she was saying to me, ‘If I’m willing to fight, then, Daddy, you better be man enough to fight as well,” added dad Densel.

According to the March of Dimes, prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death in the United States. More than half a million babies are born prematurely in the U.S. each year, and those who survive often face lifetime health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and others.

Serving their community has always been important to the Flemings. Today, they and the March of Dimes are working together for stronger, healthier babies.

The couple volunteers with the March of Dimes by walking in March for Babies, attending special events, speaking in their

community and bringing in new partners.

In addition to their work with the March of Dimes, Nikki is vice president of Jack and Jill of America’s South Charlotte, N.C., chapter.

It will be a long year of spreading the message about babies and keeping them healthy, and the Flemings insist that everyone in the household is up to the task.

“To be the national ambassador family is a dream come true, primarily because we get a chance to actively participate in both creating awareness and prevention,” the couple said. “Infants born to African-American women have the highest prematurity rate of all racial groups. It is important to us to put a face on this issue.” H

Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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NEWS

Brown named to lead Alcorn State University WHEN PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI think of Alcorn State University (ASU) in Lorman, Miss., you cannot blame them for their thinking of Walter Washington. Washington is the late, great past general president of Alpha who for years was synonymous with ASU as its former longtime president.

Now, another Alpha has assumed the leadership of the historically black university. In December, the university’s trustee board unanimously appointed Christopher Brown II. The announcement came after a daylong question-and-answer session Brown took part in with students and members of the university community.

“I am certainly very excited, very humbled by the entire experience and opportunity,” Brown told reporters after the announcement. “It’s been a great day.”

Brown, 38, becomes one of the youngest university presidents in the United States. A native of Charleston, S.C., he comes to his new job after serving as executive vice president and provost at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. His résumé includes a long list of academic assignments, including stints at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and the

New Alcorn State University President Christopher Brown II is greeted by students and alumni. Photo by Ben Hillyer, courtesy Natchez Democrat.

American Educational Research Association.

Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C., and a master’s degree in educational policy at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. He holds a doctorate in higher education from Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa. H

Jack Thomas Named President of Western Illinois University AFTER THREE YEARS as provost and academic vice president of Western Illinois University (WIU) in Macomb, Ill., Jack “Jackie” Thomas will become the university’s 11th president July 1, 2011.

In his current role, Thomas, a member of Alpha, is the senior academic officer and will replace University President Al Goldfarb, who is retiring after nine years on the job.

Thomas will lead a staff of nearly 2,000 employees at the state-owned public university, of which more than 600 are faculty members. According to the school’s website, nearly 13,000 students are enrolled this year: 10,500 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. African Americans comprise 1,230 or 9.8 percent of the student body and there are 661 Hispanic students (or 5.3 percent).

Thomas will oversee an annual budget of more than $220 million.

12 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

Brother Jack Thomas

Before joining WIU, Thomas held several posts at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tenn., including senior vice provost for academic affairs. He also was a professor of English and interim dean of the College of Continuing Education and Distance

Learning. Before MTSU, he taught English at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md., was director of its scholars program, and also served as interim university president there. Thomas also was the assistant track coach at Maryland Eastern Shore for eight years. Before that, he taught English and coached at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C., and at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. Thomas earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in English literature and criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa. He also holds a master’s degree from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., and a bachelor’s degree from Alabama A&M University in Normal, Ala. In 2005, he accomplished two major feats: he joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and he graduated from the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership in Education in Cambridge, Mass. H

NEWS

Lewis Chosen to Head Florida Memorial University LAST NOVEMBER, Florida Memorial University (FMU) named Alpha Brother Henry Lewis III its 12th president.

Dr. Lewis, a pharmacist, comes to the Miami Gardens, Fla., school after being dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Fla., for the past 15 years.

A former interim president of FAMU, he also served as dean of the Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Houston, Texas, for four years.

Lewis is the past president of the Minority Health Professions Foundation (MHPF) and the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools Brother Henry Lewis III (AMHPS). Under his leadership, the two organizations secured more than $100 million in support of programs improving the quality of education and availability of health care to underserved communities.

After graduating from FAMU with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Lewis earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University in Atlanta, Ga. He also completed studies at the Institute for Education Management at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Lewis has testified on health, research, and education funding issues before multiple congressional subcommittees. In 1986, he made history by becoming the first African American elected to the Leon County Board of County Commissioners in Tallahassee, Fla. In 1985, he joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity at Gamma Mu Lambda Chapter in Tallahassee, Fla. H

Brother Roderick L. Smothers Sr.

Smothers departs Langston University for HustonTillotson University RODERICK L. SMOTHERS SR., has been named vice president for institutional advancement at Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) in Austin, Texas.

Brother Smothers’ appointment was announced in October 2010, and he joined HTU on Jan. 3, 2011. He brings 17 years of higher education experience to the post and will guide the university’s fundraising efforts, in addition to directing the programs and initiatives within the offices of alumni affairs, communications/ marketing, grants/sponsored programs, and development/major gifts.

Smothers’ experience in higher education includes positions in academic affairs and student affairs as well as advancement and development. Most recently, he served as vice president for institutional advancement and development at Langston University (LU) in Langston, Okla., at which he was responsible for major- and planned-giving programs, sponsored programs, the university’s capital campaign, the establishment of a foundation and foundation board, the university’s community and economic development initiatives and public relations.

HTU, like LU is a private historically black university. He has secured more than $10 million in corporate and private funding and has written and influenced grants totaling more than $50 million.

Smothers earned three degrees from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La. In addition to a master’s in public administration and a bachelor’s degree, he holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational leadership, research and conseling. He also served in the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Reserve and has a certification in fundraising management from the Fund Raising School at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Smothers is the regional vice president of the fraternity’s Southwestern Region and a father of several children. His eldest son is also an Alpha. H Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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NEWS

Hart Departs Sara Lee for the New United Airlines United Continental Holdings, Inc. has a new top lawyer. His name is Brett J. Hart.

The company made the announcement of Hart’s appointment in November 2010, and he assumed his new duties last December. United Continental is the holding company for United Airlines and Continental Airlines, which merged in 2010, and together have more than 80,000 employees.

A 22-year member of

Alpha, Hart is the company’s senior vice president, general counsel and secretary and responsible for managing the company’s legal affairs worldwide, reporting directly to President and CEO Jeff Smisek.

“Brett’s experience, leadership skills and legal expertise are great assets to our senior management team,” said Smisek. “He will play a key role as we integrate United and Continental and build the world’s leading carrier.”

Prior to joining United in 2010, Hart was executive vice president, general counsel

Miller To Help Lead Big Brothers Big Sisters of America BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS (BBBS) of America, the nation’s largest donorsupported mentoring network, has named Max Miller its new chief administrative

Brother Max Miller

14 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

and corporate secretary at Sara Lee Corporation, where he directed global legal operations.

Before joining Sara Lee, Hart was a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal international law firm in Chicago. He also was special assistant to the general counsel at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. Hart joined Alpha Phi Alpha in 1989 as a member of the Nisus pledge class at Epsilon Chapter at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, under the leadership of Dean Ron Estill. He later graduated with

officer and general counsel. He will also serve as treasurer of the organization’s board of directors.

Brother Miller, an Alpha member since 1988, comes to BBBS from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law Innovation Practice Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa. Previously he held managerial roles with Pittsburgh-based H.J. Heinz Company in operations and marketing and served as a board member with KidsVoice, a Pittsburghbased nonprofit organization that provides full-service advocacy for abused and neglected children.

“Max comes to our network with an impressive organizational, managerial and legal background, together with a proven commitment to serving children who face adversity,” said Karen J. Mathis, BBBS of America president and CEO. “We are delighted to have someone with his broad and diverse background to take this important leadership role as our network embarks

Brother Brett J. Hart

a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and English before earning a law degree at the University of Chicago. He, his wife and three sons, make Chicago their home. H

on a renewed strategic direction.”

In his new role at BBBS, Miller will manage legal matters and oversee information technology, human resources, diversity and finance operations.

“I am proud to be a part of the network’s national leadership team,” Miller said. “It is critical that we provide our agencies with efficient and effective systems, structures and support to assist them in carefully matching volunteers and kids in enduring mentoring relationships that yield excellent results.”

Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa., a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Miller will work at BBBS’s headquarters in Philadelphia, the network hub of nearly 400 agencies across the country, serving more than 200,000 children. H

NEWS

Shelton Leading America’s Black Lawyers

Members of Alpha join Brother Edward L. Stanton III (center) for his investiture ceremony as U.S. attorney in Memphis, Tenn.

Stanton New U.S. Attorney in Tennessee IN DECEMBER, 38-year-old Edward L. Stanton III, a native of Memphis, Tenn., formally took the oath of office as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. A 1991 initiate of Alpha Phi Alpha at Kappa Eta Chapter at the University of Memphis, Stanton had been on the job since August, after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

At his investiture ceremony at Memphis City Hall, Stanton was joined by a “who’s who” list of Bro. Edward L. Stanton III individuals from the legal world, including federal, state, local and private-sector officials. Among those was U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Stanton’s new boss, who spoke about Stanton and the Justice Department’s mission in Memphis.

“The focus is on young people and trying to make sure that we prevent crime as well as apprehending those people who are responsible for it. To be smart on crime as well as tough on crime—I think that’s the kind of leadership you’re going to see from this new U.S. attorney. It’s consistent with what President Obama is trying to do, said Holder.”

U.S. attorneys are appointed by the president and serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the attorney general. Stanton joins a group of 92 other U.S. attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Stanton says in his role as Western Tennessee’s top law enforcement officer he plans to make civil rights a priority and focus on young people and crime prevention, not just incarceration.

“Youth is defined as age 24 and under, and so again when we look at individuals from a drug-infested neighborhood—that is exactly the target area, late teens to early 20s. I believe we can make a tremendous impact. We will succeed in becoming a stronger and safer and more vibrant community,” said Stanton.

Prior to his appointment as U. S. attorney, Stanton was senior counsel with FedEx, and was also an assistant city attorney in Memphis after working for a private law firm. He graduated from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1994 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1997. H

THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION (NBA), the nation’s oldest and largest national network of minority attorneys and judges, has chosen an Alpha to lead it. Demetrius D. Shelton, an administrative hearing officer for the City of Oakland, Calif., and the principal attorney for the Shelton Law Offices there, will represent 44,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students from more than 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world.

Shelton took the oath of office in a ceremony at the NBA’s annual convention in New Orleans in August 2010. He is the 68th chief executive of the barrister organization.

Prior to serving as president, Shelton served as a member of the National Bar Association’s Board of Governors for more than 12 years.

He has spearheaded several major initiatives, including: the effort to safeguard the vote during the historic 2008 presidential election; calling for a thorough investigation into the Hurricane Katrina disaster-andrelief efforts; and leading the NBA’s Haitian Relief Task Force.

Long active in the legal profession, Shelton is a former president of both the Charles Houston Bar Association of Oakland and the California Association of Black Lawyers. He is also past vice president of the California State Bar Association, the largest state bar association in the United States.

Shelton says the mission of the NBA is as important now than it has ever been.

“It is important to lift up those who are in need of our assistance— be it by providing pro bono or low-cost legal services, and working with young lawyers and law students and ensuring their success in the profession,” said Shelton.

“We also have to reach back to the grade schools, introducing our children to the profession and letting them know—early in their lives—that practicing law is within their realm of possibilities in living a positive and productive life.”

“We will build up the pool of leaders, future Supreme Court nominees and future members of the NBA who will help us to maintain our rightful place as the conscience of the nation,” said Shelton.

For additional information, visit www.nationalbar.org. H

Brother Demetrius Shelton, joined by his wife, takes the oath of office as the new NBA president.

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N EWS PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION WEEKEND

Brother Rodney K. Mahone

Alpha Brother Takes Reins of Leading Daily Newspaper in Georgia THE MCCLATCHY Company has named Rodney K. Mahone president and publisher of the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper in Columbus, Ga. Mahone, 43, has been the vice

president of advertising at the paper since 2009, and has spent his entire career at the newspaper. He replaces Valerie D. Canepa, who resigned to pursue other interests.

Mahone, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, took over day-to-day operations at the newspaper in early December 2010.

“We’re pleased to promote Rodney to the publisher’s position. As someone who grew up in Columbus—and who grew up professionally at the Ledger-Enquirer—Rodney is uniquely qualified to lead the paper at this important time in our industry,” said Gary Pruitt, McClatchy’s chairman and chief executive officer.

Mahone joined the Ledger-Enquirer as a part-time circulation zone manager in 1990 shortly after graduating

College Life to Corporate Life (C2C) Looking for Mentors

THE ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY College Life to Corporate Life (C2C) Program is in need of volunteers to help bolster the program. Leaders of the program are hoping to fulfill as many mentor positions for 2011 as possible.

C2C is the fraternity’s initiative dedicated to assisting members with the transition from college to the corporate world.

“We have an important task–helping our brothers who are about to graduate from college get ready for the real world, the corporate world,” said Derius “DJ” Daniels, C2C mentor coordinator.

C2C was created to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships between members of the fraternity and corporate partners. This partnership has resulted in the rewarding of career opportunities for Alpha brothers and an increased diverse talent pool for corporate partners.

“With that in mind, we are currently looking for Alpha men

16 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgia Southwestern University in Americus, Ga. In 1991, he moved to the newspaper’s advertising department, where he has worked ever since, rising through the ranks to lead the department.

As vice president of advertising, Mahone managed a department with more than 30 employees that generated $16 million in annual revenue.

The paper has an average daily readership of 111,305 and Sunday readership of 134,510.

“Rodney has a deep personal and professional connection with Columbus and the surrounding communities,” said Bob Weil, McClatchy’s vice president of operations. “He understands the significant contributions a healthy

and vibrant Ledger-Enquirer can offer the community, and he’s committed to securing that future.”

Mahone was born into a military family in Frankfurt, Germany, and moved to Columbus, Ga., in the seventh grade.

“The newspaper industry and the Ledger-Enquirer have experienced a tremendous amount of change in the last few years,” Mahone said.

“Despite all of that change, a few things have remained constant. The Ledger-Enquirer is still the number one source of news and information in the community, we remain a value for advertisers, and we’ve got an excellent group of employees who give 150 percent every day. I’m proud to work with them.” H

(of any discipline) to serve as mentors for our C2C participants,” said Daniels.

Mentors work with C2C protégés in several areas, including: résumé-writing; college to career life; interviewing skills; social-networking etiquette; dress for success; businessnetworking; career-planning; professional communications; and presentation skills.

Each mentor initiates biweekly communication with protégés by phone or online. Mentors also are expected to participate in C2C workshops during the term and to meet with their students. Many of these face-to-face meetings will take place at the fraternity’s various conventions.

Program officials are seeking mentors in the following professional areas: finance; accounting; consulting; engineering; sales; marketing; human resources; legal; and information technology. H

For more information, e-mail Derius “DJ” Daniels at Djdaniels7@yahoo.com

NEWS

Dateline: Across the A PHI A Nation ALPHAS HONOR KING ON NATIONAL HOLIDAY

In Detroit, Mich., brothers of Gamma Lambda Chapter used the King holiday to demonstrate for better public schools.

In Atlanta, Ga., brothers joined King’s son, Brother Martin L. King III, (at right), for a wreath-lying ceremony at Brother King’s crypt.

In Austin, Texas, members of Alpha joined brothers from Gamma Eta Lambda Chapter in a march and rally to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

In Jacksonville, Fla., brothers of Nu Eta Lambda Chapter light candles in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr., as part of the 2011 “Remembering Martin Kick-Off Program”

In Denmark, S.C., brothers participate in the Voorhees College Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation. Alpha General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. was the keynote speaker. Brothers from Claflin and Benedict colleges and others from Orangeburg, Aiken and Beaufort, S.C., attended the event, which was hosted by Eta Iota Chapter.

Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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NEWS

The Simon Alexander Haley

By Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr.

HOSE WHO HAVE KNOWN me for any length of time are not surprised that one of my initiatives as general president of Alpha Phi Alpha would be to engage the brothers in becoming more knowledgeable about their family history and their African ancestral ties.

It was author Alex Haley, the son of Alpha Brother Simon Alexander Haley that inspired my passion for history and family research beginning in 1977. Brother Haley was a graduate of Cornell University and it was in Ithaca, N.Y., where Alex Haley was born one of three sons. Another son, George Haley, resides in Silver Springs, Md., and is a member of the fraternity.

Now some 34 years later, I have researched the maternal side of my family to the Bemilike Tribe of Cameroon and my paternal side to the Temne Tribe of Sierra Leone, both located in West Africa. These tribunal ties were made possible by the ground-breaking technology that allows DNA testing to determine possible tribes.

The fraternity has developed a unique partnership with

T

African Ancestry, founded by Gina Paige with Rick Kittles, to allow brothers around the world to find out where they come from. Thousands of people have been tested and the results revealed have created a strong sense of emotion and pride in all recipients. The quest to uncover and learn more about who we are and where we come from, is as great as it was when Roots: The Saga of American Family was published by Alex Haley and developed into a television miniseries.

Paige has traveled to all regional conventions assisting in the reveals and offering DNA testing kits to brothers.

Many brothers took advantage of this unique opportunity and the renewed interest continues today. Last year, members of the fraternity’s board of directors and most of the past general presidents swabbed their cheeks and took the test. Throughout regional conventions board members results were revealed and past general presidents results were revealed in Las Vegas.

Here, in The Sphinx, we proudly publish some of these results in our official journal of record, for all to see, for all time to come. Enjoy! H

General Presidents African Ancestry Results Revealed at the 104th Anniversary Convention ONE OF ALPHA’S most exciting partnerships culminated in the revelation of the DNA results from some of the living past general presidents and General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. The reveals occurred in August, during the last General Convention in Las Vegas, Nev. During the regional conventions the results of regional vice presidents, regional assistant vice presidents and the other general officers were revealed. Many brothers across the country have taken advantage of the offer to purchase a DNA kits and learn of their ancestral heritage.

Efforts are still underway to locate male descendants of the Seven Jewels, the fraternity’s founders to ascertain their lineage. Kits can be ordered by contacting African Ancestry online. See the advertisement announcement on page 22. A portion of the proceeds benefit fraternity initiatives.

Alpha Phi Alpha’s General President Herman “Skip” General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. Mason, Jr. receives the flag of Sierra Leone from Temne in Sierra Leone (Paternal) Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry.

Bamileke in Cameroon (Maternal)

18 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

Part of Brother Mason’s heritage: his maternal grandfather is pictured top; Brother Mason’s parents are pictured below.

NEWS

African Ancestry Initiative 31ST GENERAL PRESIDENT HARRY E. JOHNSON, SR. Yoruba in Nigeria (Paternal)

Part of Brother Johnson’s heritage: his grandfather (seated at table) and father are pictured left and below

Brother Johnson addresses the convention delegates in Las Vegas last August.

27TH GENERAL PRESIDENT CHARLES C. TEAMER SR. Yoruba and Ibo in Nigeria (Paternal) Mbundu in Angola (Paternal)

27th General President Charles C. Teamer Sr., on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Part of Brother Teamer’s heritage: his grandparents are pictured above Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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NEWS

28TH GENERAL PRESIDENT HENRY PONDER European - Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, and Britain (paternal)

Brother Henry Ponder receives the news of his ancestry from General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. during the Black and Gold Luncheon in Las Vegas, Nev., last August.

Brother Simon Alexander Haley

The Simon Alexander Haley

By Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr.

26TH GENERAL PRESIDENT OZELL SUTTON Ibo in Nigeria (Paternal) Part of Brother Sutton’s heritage: his mother and brothers are pictured top and left

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General Treasurer Hyacinth C. Ahuruonye (left) joins his new-found Nigerian cousin, 26th General President Ozell Sutton, as he receives the flag of Nigeria from General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., and Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry.

NEWS 25TH GENERAL PRESIDENT JAMES R. WILLIAMS Akan in Ghana (Paternal)

Brother Williams receives the Ghana national flag from General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., and Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry.

African Ancestry Initiative

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IN 2011 ALPHA WILL BE

Celebrating our roots

IN 2011 Alpha Phi Alpha members will have the unique opportunity to trace their roots with African Ancestry, Inc. (AA). Using DNA testing, brothers will be able to learn more about their family tree than ever before. It is a new partnership with AA to help celebrate the ancestries of the fraternity and its phenomenal members through connecting them with, and documenting, their ancestral family history.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Brothers will be able to get a discounted DNA testing kit from AA, to test their DNA to possibly determine their African heritage. The regular price for the test is $500, but financially-active brothers will get a discount at the cost of $299.

PROOF POSITIVE. All participating regional vice presidents and assistant vice presidents have already taken a swab test and revealed their African matches at the regional conventions. Brothers can also look to see the past general presidents and General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. lead by example. Each participating general president has taken the test and reveal their African matches.

We are also releasing the Jewels Family Tree on our Web site and will identify their male descendants to test their lineage as well.

For more information, go to www.apa1906.net.

Author Alex Haley and General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., then a college brother.

SPECIAL REPORT

n a m ss o D y e l Cur

on s y T e Jess lmes Richard L. Ho

es m a dJ r a n Leo

Alpha Phi Alpha

By Rick Blalock and Ezzard C. Rolle, Jr.

Alpha Phi Alpha men have long distinguished themselves per o o C s Since the founding of the fraternity in 1906,urice as leaders. m a i l a il the 21st Century,leythey have blazed trails forMthe W through e Cor anc r d r e d men and womenTof T o the world who follow them. No where has that path been so inundated with leaders n Sapp and success a V stories than in the business and entrepreneurship arena. In this SPECIAL REPORT, The Sphinx introduces you to several members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Corporate AllStars team. They have accomplished much and broken k c a m barriers along theo way. Altogether, this team has proven is W that when Cithrcomes to hitting a home run in business, you may just want to suit up a man who wears the black-andore m l i G g old-gold uniform. > u Cra een

ns Robert Haga

Gr d y Flo

Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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SPECIAL REPORT

Van Sapp Senior Vice President PepsiCo Warehouse Sales RESPONSIBLE for an organization with $10 billion in gross sales, Van Sapp is proving that African Americans cannot only lead large enterprises, but win in the competitive marketplace.

As senior vice president of PepsiCo Warehouse Sales, Sapp leads an organization of 1,200 salespeople who work with a cross-functional staff of associates, including finance, supply chain, sales planning, field sales and category-management.

PepsiCo Warehouse Sales develops and executes strategic plans for the Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Naked Juice and IZZE brands across all retail outlets in the U.S. to achieve corporate volume and profit goals.

Previously, Brother Sapp was vice president/general manager for the Emerging and Convenience Channel of PepsiCo. He has also held numerous VP-level posts throughout the Pepsi organization, from marketing-initiative development to consumer promotions and customer marketing, to sales and franchise management.

Before joining Pepsi, Sapp had many sales and sales-planning assignments across divisions for Kraft Foods over a period of 12 years.

He earned an MBA in marketing from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga., and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration degree from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.

Though one of several Alpha corporate all-stars, Sapp says there’s plenty of room for more executives of color.

“There is no doubt an opportunity to increase representation in “C suites” across Fortune 1000 companies,” says Sapp. “Those companies seeking to do better than their peer companies should make sure they are creating an environment that develops all talent, and talent is the fuel that drives all organizations. While we are making an improvement, we still are not moving fast as enough.”

Over the past 25 years, Sapp has been a community advocate and is a member of many national, regional and local organizations, including The Executive Leadership Council and National Black MBA Association.

He also serves on the National Grocery Association Board of Directors, and the boards at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois and Junior Achievement of Chicago.

Initiated into Alpha at Gamma Epsilon Chapter at the University of Wisconsin in 1982, Sapp now makes his home in Oak Park, Ill., with his wife Donata and their three children. H

24 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

Craig M. Gilmore Director, Multicultural Markets State Farm Insurance

FOR MORE THAN 37 years, Craig Gilmore has walked the corridors of corporate America. Currently, the director of multicultural markets for State Farm Insurance, his area of responsibility covers the Great Lakes Zone, including the states of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, with emphasis on the cities of Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit.

Working for the largest auto-and-home insurer in the U.S. has had major advantages for Gilmore, personally and professionally.

He has had the chance to experience multiple career paths, including being named first zone director of multicultural markets, which allowed him to have significant input in the creation of State Farm’s enterprise multicultural-engagement and-growth strategies.

Gilmore’s State Farm “careers” include successful experiences as a human resources manager, State Farm agent, and agency field executive. In 1998, he was asked to create and lead the company’s ethnic marketing initiatives for the state of Illinois.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., in 1973.

He joined Alpha Phi Alpha at Nu Psi Lambda Chapter in Bloomington, Ill., in 1982.

A proud life member of the Bloomington, Ill., chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Craig received the chapter’s highest honor, the Roy Wilkins Award, in 2004. He is also a member of the Chicago Urban League, having earned its Beautiful People Award for community service in 2002. In 2007, he was a member of the inaugural class of the Chicago Defender newspaper’s 50 Men of Excellence list.

Married to a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Gilmore and his wife Judy live in Chicago. H

Alpha Phi Alpha

Leonard James III Corporate Policy Advisor Exxon Mobil Corporation WHEN IT COMES to reaching out from the oil industry to the community, Leonard James III is the man you want to call.

Brother James is corporate policy advisor for Exxon Mobil Corporation and provides support to community outreach and advocacy activities for ExxonMobil’s Corporate Issues Management & Advocacy and Corporate Citizenship and Community Investments Centers of Excellence.

His career includes various assignments within ExxonMobil Marketing’s fuel products organization, including most recently that of U.S. businessdevelopment and multi-cultural marketing manager.

In that post he was responsible for retailer diversity, including development and implementation of initiatives to increase the number of minority retailers.

He was also responsible for positioning ExxonMobil’s corporate image and the Exxon and Mobil brands within ethnic communities in major metropolitan areas where ExxonMobil sales its fuels products.

A native of Tuscumbia, Ala., James holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University

Todd Corley Senior Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion Abercrombie & Fitch AS THE SENIOR vice president and chief diversity officer for Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F), Todd Corley is responsible for the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy across all brands, the corporate office and A&F distribution centers.

As population centers shift in the United States and around the world, Corley’s role has become even more critical for the company, which does business in 17 countries, with more than 1,000 stores.

“I help guide our store-recruiting function, support our corporate social responsibility strategy and ensure that the in-store shopping experience is inclusive for all customers,” says Corley.

“We maintain a work environment that allows the diversity of our associates to

be cultivated, valued and leveraged.”

Corley knew from his days in high school that he wanted to be in the corporate world. He began his path during his senior year, working as an INROADS summer intern with the Carrier division of United Technologies. In 1991, he earned a bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., and graduated with an MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1997.

In November 2004, Corley joined Abercrombie & Fitch as its first-ever corporate officer in charge of diversity and inclusion. In his role, he reports directly to the chairman and CEO. He has been able to carve out a unique function at the company, which historically has been seen as Caucasiancentric.

With A&F being a lifestyle brand, he helps people realize and believe that lifestyle traits such as casual, luxury and aspirational are traits possessed by people from all backgrounds— regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion.

of Alabama in Huntsville, Ala., and a Master of Business Administration degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La.

In addition to being a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, James is active in professional and civic organizations, including service on several boards and as a member in a variety of organizations.

He is vice president of policy and administration, member of the National Black MBA Association; member of the Board of Directors of the National Civil Rights Museum; and chairman of the economic development committee and member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

James is actively involved with ExxonMobil’s employee networks. He is a former member of the steering committee of the Black Employee Success Team (BEST), immediate past president of the BEST Fairfax, Va., chapter, and is an advisor to the Global Organization for the Advancement of Latinos.

He has served as a mentor to dozens of business associates, as well as to young people to make a difference in other companies and industries nationally. James’ passions are providing leadership to the organizations he serves, making a difference in the community in which he lives, and working with young people and helping them make a difference in the community in which they live. H

His work is paying off—for both him and the company. Earlier this year, he was listed as a “Top 100 Corporate Executive” by Uptown Professional magazine. And during his tenure at A&F, the number of in-store associates who self-identify as nonwhite has increased from less than 10 percent to more than 50 percent in six years. Further, the store count has increased from approximately 700 to 1,200, and the number of brands in the company portfolio has increased.

Initiated in 1992 at Iota Kappa Lambda Chapter in Syracuse, N.Y., Brother Corley makes his home in Columbus, Ohio, and is a member of Alpha Rho Lambda Chapter. H

Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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SPECIAL REPORT

Christopher C. Womack Executive Vice President and President, External Affairs Southern Company WHEN THE CEO and other top executives at the United States’ fourthlargest utility company want to talk to the powers that be at the White House or on Capitol Hill, they call on Christopher C. Womack.

Womack, in his role as Southern Company’s executive vice president (with the dual role of president of external affairs) is the go-to man when it’s time to present the company’s position to policymakers, lawmakers and executives at state and federal governments.

Though at Southern 23 years, Brother Womack cut his teeth in public affairs and public service as a tough study, for eight years, under then Congressman Leon Panetta.

“Leon Panetta was my first boss, and he taught me such a strong work ethic and the commitment to public service and helping others.”

That unique relationship gives Womack even more clout and power, compared to most government-relations executives. Panetta went on to be chief of staff to former U.S. President Bill Clinton and now runs the CIA for President Barack Obama.

“I started my career in government because I enjoyed public service and public-policy issues,” says Womack. “I had a great yearning to try to solve big problems, and then I moved to private sector to see policy from a different perspective and to learn the value of private enterprise.”

Born in Greenville, Ala., Womack graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1979, with a bachelor’s degree in political science. While there, he joined Alpha Phi Alpha at the fraternity’s Epsilon Xi Chapter. He also holds a Master of Public Administration degree at American University in Washington, D.C.

He has held 10 different positions since landing at Southern Company.

Currently, he has the responsibility for directing the company’s public-policy strategies and overseeing the company’s federal and state governmental and regulatory affairs, as well as corporate communication initiatives.

Womack has been honored as Black Enterprise magazine’s 75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America, and has won the Boy Scouts of America’s Whitney M. Young Award for Public Service and also its Silver Beaver Award. He also gives back in various ways to communities, including serving as a national trustee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

But even with his having achieved so much, he says corporate America should not look at success stories like his and say enough has been done to diversify the executive board rooms.

“Corporate America must continue to push to be more diverse and inclusive of all people. I would love to see more black CEOs and black leaders in corporate America,” Womack says. “There are so many that are talented and qualified and capable of leading major organizations and should be afforded the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.”

His advice to young people is to work hard, prepare themselves by learning all they can, become a good team player, and be willing to take a risk. H

26 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

Richard L. Holmes Senior Vice President Georgia Power

A NATIVE OF COLUMBUS, GA., Holmes has come a long way from his childhood to the leadership role he plays in one of America’s leading energy companies. Currently senior vice president of Metro Atlanta Regions with Georgia Power, Brother Holmes has worked in corporate America for 37 years.

“Business was an obvious career choice for me because it offers so much variety, opens so many doors, and it literally supports every profession,” he says.

Holmes joined Georgia Power in 1974 and now has operational responsibilities for Georgia Power’s 1.2 million customers in the metropolitanAtlanta area. He oversees electric operations, sales and marketing, customer service and business offices, governmental relations, and community and economic development.

In addition to working at the power company, Holmes plays a key role in the social, civic and community life of Georgia and metro Atlanta. He has served on several boards, including the American Association of Blacks in Energy; Atlanta Police Foundation; 100 Black Men of Atlanta; and the Kennesaw State University Foundation. In 1999, he served as chairman of the Cobb (County) Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first African American to lead the second-largest chamber in Georgia.

Like so many black men who have climbed the corporate ladder, Holmes says there simply are not enough people who look like him in corporate suites.

“There has been progress made; however, we do not have enough black CEOs in Fortune 500 companies,” he says. “There is still much work to be done in this area.”

He points to his fraternity as a guiding force that helped him along the way—and still does, even today, in his role as an executive.

“In my community there were many positive role models to follow, and many of these men were Alpha men. Knowing that, I said Alpha was the organization for me. What a great choice I made early in my college career,” Holmes says.

Holmes joined Alpha Phi Alpha in 1971, when initiated at Eta Upsilon Chapter at Texas Technical University in Lubbock, Texas.

Holmes later earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Columbus State University in his hometown, and he received an MBA from Atlanta University, now Clark Atlanta University. He also completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard University’s business school in Cambridge, Mass.

His advice for those wanting to follow in his footsteps? “Gain valuable work experience first and then establish a career path or business plan to guide you; create a strong personal and professional network to support you; and be persistent, because success is not easy.” H

Alpha Phi Alpha

Terrance Williams Regional Vice President Nationwide Insurance KNOWN AS A purpose-driven leader, a motivator of people and a dedicated insurance executive, Terrence Williams believes that insurance can play a pivotal role in one’s life.

Brother Williams, initiated on April 24, 1987, at Theta Nu Chapter at the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, S.C., earned a Bachelor of Science degree in insurance and a Master of Business Administration degree at Walden University in Minneapolis, Minn.

He has been with Nationwide Insurance since 1996, and in August

Maurice Cooper Senior Brand Manager The Coca Cola Company

A STEWARD OF ONE of the world’s greatest and most valuable brands, Maurice Cooper has accomplished many great feats with The Coca Cola Company.

As the senior brand manager of the Coca-Cola Zero business in North America, he has led the most successful sparklingbeverage launch of the last decade—beyond $1 billion in revenue—with oversight over brand strategy, marketing, and commercial initiatives. Included in his responsibilities are the brand-activation of NCAA basketball and March Madness, college and professional football, and blockbuster-movie platforms, such as James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ and Disney’s ‘Tron: Legacy.’

During his five years at the company he also spearheaded the development and launch of the Sprite Step Off Competition, which awarded $1.5 million in scholarship prizes to college students around the U.S.

Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Maurice was a management

2010, was elected regional vice president for its Central Plains and Southern States Operations. He serves as the lead executive and general manager responsible for all agents and employees with profit-and-loss accountability for 10 states across the South and the Central Plains.

Previously, he held a variety of posts for the company, including head of the Customer Care Center in Amarillo, Texas and underwriting director in Gainesville, Fla.

Williams, a native of the Low Country region of South Carolina, calls his dad and Brother Martin Luther King Jr. his personal heroes, but he gives credit to his aunt for his business sense and inspiration to be in the insurance industry.

“As a young teen I learned about insurance and its value from several of my family members, especially my aunt, who was one of the first African-American female executives at American Insurance Group (AIG). Watching and learning from her, something that became very apparent to me was the pivotal role insurance plays in your life,” says Williams. “Whether it’s helping a family recover from the massive devastation of a hurricane or assisting a young family with planning their financial future, I believe this business has a noble purpose.”

Williams honed his business skills in retail jobs as a youth, and decided at an early age that he wanted to go in to the insurance industry. Learning the value and nobility of the field has allowed Williams to boast a flourishing career that has spanned over 20 years.

Williams, an avid sports fan and Chevrolet Corvette enthusiast, lives just north of Dallas, Texas, with his wife and two sons. H

consultant at The Boston Consulting Group in Chicago, Ill. He has also successfully completed marketing internships at Procter & Gamble and General Mills.

Cooper says young people interested in corporate America should not think it will, or try to make it, happen overnight.

“Whatever you envision must not just be done, it must be done well. Reputation and careers are not just built on ideas, but how well they were brought to life,” says Cooper.

“Young people, now more than ever, are challenged by impatience, due in large part to the fact that celebrities and successes seem to be made over night—almost every night. But if anything is going to last, it has to be tested. And the process in your journey will refine and mature you, connect you with people that will push you, and give you the wisdom and credibility needed to lead your organization well.”

A spring 1999 initiate of Alpha Phi Alpha at Alpha Rho Chapter at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., Cooper earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse and received an MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business in Charlottesville, Va. He lives in metro Atlanta. H Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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SPECIAL REPORT

Jesse J. Tyson

Floyd Green

Fuels Marketing Global Aviation Director ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical

Vice President Community Relations and Urban Marketing Aetna, Inc.

JESSE TYSON is a long way from growing up as a sharecropper in rural Tennessee. Back home he dreamed of one day running his own business and being involved in the corporate world. As it turns out, he says, his 35 years of service at ExxonMobil has resulted in more benefits than he ever imagined.

Since 2008, Brother Tyson has led the global aviation business for ExxonMobil based in Brussels, Belgium. His primary responsibility is strategic development of sustainable solutions and operational issues within 50 countries; this includes airlines, militaries, joint ventures, airport authorities and industry associations. The company, one of the world’s largest, produces 3.9 million oil-equivalent barrels a day and sells about 11 billion cubic feet of natural gas every day.

Tyson says ExxonMobil takes a long-term approach not only to product development and innovation, but also to career-development.

“I have benefited personally from this approach and ExxonMobil’s global reach,” says Tyson. “Given the global nature of my career experiences, I have developed a world view of things and get an opportunity to constantly test my skills against different competition across the world.”

Like many of his fellow corporate all-stars, Tyson says there are not enough black CEOs and top managers in Fortune 1000 companies.

“I think we are underrepresented in CEO and top-management roles.

However, going forward, the talent pool of blacks qualified to sit in the “C suite” is impressive and continues to grow, limited only by our aspirations and willingness to invest in developing the requisite skills.”

Tyson holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business from Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., and earned an MBA degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has attended the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and The International Management Development School in Switzerland.

Named one of the “Twelve Good Men” by the Ronald McDonald House, he is a recipient of numerous awards and honorable mentions, including Black Enterprise magazine’s 2009 “most influential black executive” list.

Initiated in 2006 at Beta Beta Lambda Chapter in Miami, Fla., Tyson and his wife Cheryl live in Brussels, and are proud parents of three adult daughters and one grandson. H

28 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

IF YOU LOOK UP “corporate veteran” in the dictionary, you’ll probably find this name: Floyd Green.

With more than three decades of experience, Brother Green began his sales and marketing career with the Xerox Corporation, and after a try at professional theater, landed a job in the healthcare industry.

He’s never looked back.

Today he is vice president in charge of community relations and urban marketing at Aetna, Inc. Aetna, a Fortune 100 company, is one of the country’s leading diversified healthcare-benefits companies, with more than 35 million customers. Green is responsible for developing grassroots marketing strategies to increase Aetna’s visibility and address the multicultural/multilingual and generational needs of Aetna’s key constituents across the United States.

Green joined Alpha Phi Alpha at Nu Chapter in 1978, while studying history and public affairs at Lincoln University in Lincoln University, Pa., from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He also holds an MBA in marketing from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management in Malibu, Calif.

He offers sound advice to young people who long to take the road to the corporate- or independent-business world.

“I tell those who want to run or own a business that understanding their customer base is critical,” says Green. “With the new global market and increased levels of competition, companies are now faced with understanding their customers like never before.”

“America can never have enough black CEOs and top managers in corporate America. Aetna is fortunate to have an African-American chairman, and he has demonstrated over the years that success in not measured by the color of one’s skin,” says Green.

Green is a member of 100 Black Men of America and the National Association of Health Services Executives, and he serves on several boards, including the National PTA (Parent Teacher Association) and Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications Board of Visitors.

He regularly gives back by visiting college campuses to mentor students and faculty.

A native of Newport News, Va., Floyd now resides in Hartford, Conn. H

Alpha Phi Alpha

Robert R. Hagans Jr. Chief Financial Officer AARP SINCE 2001, Robert R. Hagans Jr., has been the leading “numbers guy” at the United States’ largest not-for-profit organization. As chief financial officer at AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons), he’s responsible for providing strategic guidance and expertise in all areas of the association’s financial management, strategy implementation, and policy formulation. This includes the overseeing of approximately $8 billion in annual cash flow for AARP and its related entities and the $1.4 billion operating budget.

AARP is a membership organization dedicated to addressing the needs and interests of persons 50 and older.

Brother Hagans holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill., and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He joined Alpha Phi Alpha in 1979, initiated at Xi Lambda Chapter in Chicago, Ill. He is also a legacy in Alpha. His grandfather Arthur James Wells is a member, now in Omega Chapter, who was listed in the fraternity history book, who attended Northwestern University’s dental school in 1919.

Like most corporate all-stars, Hagans does a lot for the

community—outside the executive board room.

He serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington and is also a member of the organization’s foundation. He is a member of the 100 Black Men of America, serves on the board of directors for Industrial Bank and is a past treasurer on the board of the Children’s National Medical Center. Hagans also is a past chair of the Advisory Board for the Small Business Development Center at Howard University (HU) in Washington, D.C.

Before joining corporate America, Hagans spent significant time working in the public sector in Maryland and also at HU.

What advice does he hand down to aspiring CFOs? “I tell every young person to focus on academics and to master the basics,” says Hagans. “Accounting and marketing—the core subjects. The time spent does pay off. My final advice to the young is to remember that they represent the realization of promises, dreams and plans of countless people.

Those are promises of parents and grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, friends, mentors and teachers,” he says.

Hagans resides in Mitchellville, Md., with his wife and two sons.H

Curley M. Dossman Jr. Vice President, Community Programs Georgia-Pacific President, Georgia-Pacific Foundation

AFTER SPENDING six years working in the corridors of state and federal government offices, Curley M. Dossman Jr., chose to move into the corporate arena for professional growth and stability. Since making the transition he has been in the corporate world for 26 years.

A longtime fixture in the Georgia business and philanthropic community, Brother Dossman is one of the top corporate all-stars in Atlanta.

He is vice president of community programs at Georgia-Pacific LLC (GP), one of the largest paper-products companies in the world. He is responsible for community relations program development for the Atlanta headquarters and local plant communities. He also serves as president of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation.

In his role, he works closely with GP’s executive leadership on Georgia-focused programs of importance to the company. In directing the activities of the GP Foundation, Dossman is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s overall philanthropic strategies.

Dossman earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., where he also joined Alpha Phi Alpha at Alpha Rho Chapter. In 1976, he received a law degree from Washington University in St.

Louis School of Law.

Prior to joining GP in late 1994, he was state vice president of government affairs with AT&T. There, he was responsible for representing that corporation’s interests in the legislative, regulatory and industry relations areas.

Dossman says America has much more work to do in terms of promoting people of color to corporate suites. He also is urging young black people to pursue owning their own businesses.

“I do not believe the number of black CEOs has reached a level that is representative of the number of persons with the skills and capabilities to perform at high levels, and who can lead and create value for the shareholders and employees of Fortune 1000 companies,” Dossman says.

“Entrepreneurship is the wave of the future. In a capitalistic society it is the most efficient means to wealth creation and is the ‘silver rights’ movement of the 21st century.”

In addition to his work with GP, Dossman is involved with a host of business, civic and community groups. He is a member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, 100 Black Men of America, American Bar Association and the National Bar Association.

He and his wife make their home in Atlanta and are parents of one adult son.H Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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Web stream on www.alphaphialpha.net sponsored by Abercrombie & Fitch.

20 THE THESPHINX SPHINX H Summer 2010 40

CHAPTER NEWS

Members of Iota Pi Lambda Chapter and Eta Delta Chapter pay a visit to teachers at Caribbean Elementary School to donate needed school supplies.

ETA DELTA CHAPTER University of Miami Shows Actions Speak Louder

By Ezzard C. Rolle Jr.

THE 2010-2011 ACADEMIC YEAR is proving to be a quite busy one for the brothers of Eta Delta Chapter at the University of Miami (UM) in Florida. Just before school started, members capped off a summer of service mentoring young people for the Kulula Project in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood.

The Kulula Project is a program of the UM School of Education, a year-long mentorship program which provides activities rooted in African culture and history.

Topics discussed covered self-awareness, relationshipbuilding, skill-development, leadership-training and community service. Brothers mentored a group of 30 children, ages five to 14, and also took the group on a museum field trip and held ongoing discussions about college education and careers.

At the beginning of the school year, in collaboration with the Iota Pi Lambda Alumni Chapter in the Richmond Heights neighborhood, brothers took part in a back-to-school supply drive for Caribbean Elementary School in South Miami-Dade County. The university’s

William R. Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership Development assisted the brothers.

Through this joint effort several hundred dollars in much-needed school supplies were donated.

By October, brothers began putting their feet to work to help women and help find a cure for cancer.

On Oct. 10, they participated in the 6th Annual Walk for Myeloma, hosted by Beta Sigma Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority. The chapter made a financial contribution, and brothers participated in the opening ceremonies and the walk around Lake Osceola on the UM campus.

Several days later, on Oct. 16, Eta Delta brothers participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure held at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. Together, with the Bahamian Students Association in the 5k walk, the two organizations raised $300 in the fight against cancer. H

Brother Ezzard C. Rolle Jr. mentors a child at the Kulula Project Mentorship Program last summer.

Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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CHAPTER NEWS

Brothers of Theta Delta Lambda Chapter prepare to place wreaths at graves of deceased brothers at Fort Bliss, Texas, National Cemetery.

Brothers Peter Grammer (left) and Capt.

Demarcio L. Reed place a wreath on the grave of Brother Charles Pratt Jr.

THETA DELTA LAMBDA BROTHERS REMEMBER TO REMEMBER THOSE GONE, OVER THE HOLIDAYS

By James Ball

RECOGNIZING THAT DURING THE HOLIDAY season many brothers fail to remember Alphas who have died, brothers at Theta Delta Lambda Chapter in El Paso, Texas, decided to change that trend.

This past holiday season, members initiated the chapter’s first official Brother’s Keeper Program service project with the laying of wreaths on the gravesites of Alpha men who have gone on to Omega Chapter, the fraternity’s designated chapter of deceased members.

The project was conducted as part of Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization that promotes

the placement of Christmas wreaths at gravesites of U.S. military veterans around the world.

Theta Delta Lambda Chapter implemented its project at Fort Bliss, Texas, National Cemetery on Dec. 10 by placing wreaths on seven graves at Fort Bliss and one at a private cemetery. The wreaths were provided by the El Paso Civil Air Patrol. Widows and other surviving relatives were invited to participate in the ceremonies.

The Chapter intends to make this an annual Brother’s Keeper project and encourage other chapters to do the same. H

ALPHA GAMMA LAMBDA New York, N.Y. THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU presented Alpha Gamma Lambda Chapter with a plaque in recognition of the chapter’s efforts in helping to raise awareness of and inspiring participation in the 2010 census count.

Shortly after census forms were mailed to the public, Brother Ephriem Jackson, a representative of the Census Bureau, spoke at a chapter meeting and gave suggestions on how the chapter could assist with community outreach.

Members then began distributing census promotional items to help publicize the count. H

Alpha Gamma Lambda Chapter Past President Scorpio Rogers (left) and Chapter President Fred Baptiste display a plaque presented to the chapter by the U.S. Census Bureau.

32 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

CHAPTER NEWS

BETA ZETA LAMBDA Jefferson City, Mo.

BETA ETA LAMBDA Oklahoma City, Okla.

AS ALPHA BROTHERS pause to remember the deadly earthquake that hit Haiti more than a year ago, members of Beta Zeta Lambda Chapter in Jefferson City, Mo., continue accepting donations to help the ongoing relief effort.

Last year, as part of their “Check-It-Out” fundraising event, chapter members collected $1,000 in checks and cash and donated it to the American Red Cross. H

BROTHERS FROM Beta Eta Lambda Chapter in Oklahoma City, Okla., are gearing up for another successful March for Babies this spring.

Last year the chapter donated more than $2,500 to the March of Dimes from its participation. In addition, chapter members have begun a leadership-development academy for freshmen boys at Star Spencer High School in Oklahoma City. About 75 students have participated in the program. Over the course of 16 weeks brothers conduct two-hour seminar classes with the boys. Topics covered include leadership qualities, developing your inner-leader, sex education, community-development, voting, and college readiness. H

Beta Zeta Lambda brothers present a check to the American Red Cross. From left: Brother Arnold Parks; Evie White, director of health and safety services for the Jefferson City, Mo., Chapter of the American Red Cross; Beta Zeta Lambda Chapter President Charles Sampson; Brothers Ron Reynolds and Waverly Wilson.

After marching for a cause, Alpha brothers George Smith (standing at far left) and Carvel Davis (second from right), shown with the members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, after participating in the annual March of Dimes March for Babies, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

BETA NU LAMBDA Charlotte, N.C. PUTTING THEIR MONEY where their mouths are, members of Beta Nu Lambda Chapter in Charlotte, N.C., recently donated $1,000 worth of winter wear to the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte. The chapter made the contribution on Dec. 1, 2010, the same day many of the brothers stopped by to serve lunch at the year-round homeless shelter.

“We are blessed to be a blessing to someone else,” said T. Brian George, president Beta Nu Lambda Chapter.

To raise the supplies the chapter sponsored a clothing drive in which members donated gently worn items such as slacks, dress shirts, coats

and suits. People also donated caps, gloves, sweatshirts, socks and underwear. Partnering with a local Wal-Mart store, members also purchased $500 worth of items to which the store matched the purchases. Brother Adrian Stratton, regional director of merchandising for Wal-Mart, assisted the chapter in securing the matching funds. H

Brothers of Beta Nu Lambda Chapter with Linda Miller, volunteer and community resource coordinator for the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte on Dec. 1, 2010.

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CHAPTER NEWS

BETA TAU LAMBDA Fort Worth, Texas SEVENTY YEARS can go by so fast when you’re having fun!

Just ask the brothers of Beta Tau Lambda Chapter in Fort Worth, Texas, who held their Founders’ Day Celebration on Dec. 4 at Texas Christian University.

The event, held in the Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center, was a two-fold event: It celebrated the fraternity’s 104 years of existence and the chapter’s 70-year presence in the Fort Worth area. In addition to the traditional amenities at a black-tie affair, several brothers and guests received special honors, including Brother Kerven W. Carter, Jr., a 70-year member of the fraternity; Brother Charles McWilliams Jr., recipient of the chapter’s 2010 Community Service Award; and Marcia Kendrick, recipient of the 2010 Yellow Rose Award.

Roderick L. Smothers, Sr., the fraternity’s Southern Region vice president, delivered the keynote address and received, on behalf of

the fraternity, an award from the Texas state governor, honoring the fraternity for its longtime service.

The annual event is used as a fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting the Beta Tau Lambda Charitable Foundation. Brothers Keith L. Anderson and Jeremy A. Miller co-chaired the event. H

Founders’ Day Committee co-chairman Jeremy Miller with 2010 Yellow Rose honoree Marcia Kendrick. Photo by Kory Williams.

MEMBERS OF Gamma Lambda Chapter hosted a breakfast to salute Senior Judge Brother Damon J. Keith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Nov. 13, 2010. The event was held at the Detroit Athletic Club and attended by a sold-out crowd of Alpha brothers. Brother Huel A. Perkins, news anchor at WJBK-TV FOX2, emceed the program.

Notable Alpha brothers attending included General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., 31st General President Harry E. Johnson Sr., Midwestern Regional Vice President Mark S. Tillman, former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, and Detroit’s newest member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke. H

XI IOTA LAMBDA Camarillo, Calif.

From left, Beta Tau Lambda Chapter Treasurer Blake Moorman, Southwest Regional Vice President Roderick L. Smothers, Sr. and Chapter President Nekerral Polk, display a plaque from Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Photo by Kory Williams.

ALPHA MU LAMBDA Knoxville, Tenn.

Alpha Mu Lambda Hosts Its Inaugural Scholarship Breakfast IN RECOGNITION of Alpha’s vision Mu Lambda brothers present plaques to to encourage leadership, scholarship Alpha scholarship winners. and service, brothers at Alpha Mu Lambda Chapter hosted its inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast and Oratorical Contest on January 15, 2011. Nearly 150 people attended the event. The chapter raised more than $4,500 from the event to support its scholarship fund. Three scholarships were awarded to local high school students. Each participant presented an outstanding oration on the state of African-American students and their academic progress. The event featured two keynote speakers. Avon Rollins, director of the Beck Cultural Center, provided an historical reference of the time he spent with King. Montina Jones, a senior advisor in the Knox County Schools system presented a report on the educational progress of the school system. H

34 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

GAMMA LAMBDA Detroit, Mich.

WHEN NUMBERS were low, but the will high, the brothers of Xi Iota Lambda Chapter in Ventura County, Calif., used their deep community connections to raise more than $68,000 for the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation.

Although the chapter maintains about 12 active members in this small Southern California city, the influence of the members runs deep. Chapter members maintain connections to the military, city government, academia, business and political community.

Under the theme “Ventura County: We Support the Dream,” donations poured in from hundreds of businesses and individuals as the brothers educated the community about the historic memorial project to honor Brother the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One single donation of $10,000 was sent directly to the foundation, bringing the actual total to $78,000, generated because of the efforts of the brothers from Xi Iota Lambda Chapter. H

CHAPTER NEWS

Above: College brothers of Theta Beta Chapter at Columbus State University.

DELTA IOTA LAMBDA Columbus, Ga. THETA BETA Columbus State University Columbus, Ga.

Left: Members of Delta Iota Lambda and Theta Beta Chapters at the Founders’ Day Breakfast.

ZETA EPSILON LAMBDA Red Bank, N.J.

THE BROTHERS OF DELTA IOTA LAMBDA Chapter in Columbus, Ga., along with college members from Theta Beta Chapter at Columbus State University, hosted a successful 2010 Founders’ Day Breakfast celebration in December.

Brothers from across metro Columbus, Ga. and Phenix City, Ala., joined together for fellowship, fun, and commemoration of the seven founders of Alpha Phi Alpha. Louis Davis chaired the committee that planned the program; Vincent McNeill emceed, and Spurgeon Glenn, a 50-year brother, delivered the keynote speech.

The breakfast meal was prepared by culinary arts students from Phenix City’s Central High School. H

The chapter recognized WNBCTV weekend news anchor and New Jersey correspondent Patricia “Pat” Battle and talk-show host Wendy ON NOV. 6, 2010, Zeta Epsilon Williams. Williams accepted her Lambda Chapter in Red Bank, award via satellite. Both women are N.J., celebrated 55 years of serving proud daughters of Zeta Epsilon Monmouth and Ocean Counties. As Chapter brothers. part of the celebration, the chapter’s

The Charity Ball and Gala is a 55th Anniversary Charity Ball and signature fundraiser and supports Gala honored local daughters of the chapter’s educational fund, which Alpha men. The inspiration, to provides scholarships to outstanding recognize the women, came from the college-bound students in the New similar national program at the 2009 Jersey Shore area. The brothers New Orleans General Convention also took time to honor Forrester titled The Daughters of Alpha.

Lee, the chapter’s sole living charter member, who is celebrating 74 years as a brother in the fraternity. H

Celebrating 55 years of Alpha on the New Jersey Shore and the Daughters of Alpha, from left: Zeta Epsilon Lambda Chapter President Sean McGee, honoree Patricia “Pat” Battle, and 2010 Charity Ball and Gala chairman Kenneth Morgan.

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CHAPTER NEWS

ZETA PHI LAMBDA Stamford, Conn.

On backpack patrol, from left: Zeta Theta Lambda Chapter Brothers Raymond Chambers, Freddie Player and Kenneth Mickens, distributing book bags to middle- and high school students.

ZETA THETA LAMBDA Harrisburg, Pa. TO ENSURE STUDENTS started off the school year right, brothers in Harrisburg, Pa., “got their backs.”

Staying true to a 2008 strategic plan for community service, members of Zeta Theta Lambda Chapter partnered with three local churches in a project to provide backpacks full of school supplies for students this academic year. The planning began in June 2010, led by the Rev. Ronnie B. Tucker, the chapter’s chaplain and pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

The chapter, along with Mt. Zion, New Hope Living Baptist Church and Monumental AME Church, held a back-to-school block party. The groups issued free backpacks with binders, composition books, notebook paper, pens, pencils folders, hand sanitizer and more. Students and adults alike enjoyed a day of games and food at the party. In addition to donating time and talent, members of Zeta Theta Lambda Chapter also made financial contributions. In all, more than 600 backpacks were distributed and more than 1,000 people attended the event. H

RHO TAU LAMBDA Baltimore, Md. BROTHERS IN BALTIMORE, Md., are gearing up for their Third Annual Barn Dance fundraiser slated for May. This year’s program comes on the heels of last year’s successful program in which Rho Tau Lambda Chapter provided a $1,000 scholarship to college-

36 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

AN HOUR CAN MAKE a lifetime of difference to a child. Just ask the Alpha Phi Alpha members in Stamford, Conn.

In October, the ‘Alpha Hour’ moved from embryonic stage to fruition, thanks to the hard work of members of the Zeta Phi Lambda Chapter.

‘Alpha Hour’ was conceived at a chapter Founders’ Day dinner. Some brothers were partaking in an intellectual discourse on education and the growing prison population of African-American young men and decided to put their words into action. They created a signature program titled ‘Alpha Hour,’ a grassroots literacy effort targeting elementary-school students of color. Recognizing that middle school is much too late to realistically reach students and have a major impact, the program’s aim is to transform minds and the social behaviors of students at a younger age.

Brothers kicked off their service program in late October, during Bridgeport’s Read Aloud Day. Joining with the School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport, the brothers donated an hour or more of their time, reading to the students at Roosevelt Elementary Third-grade students leave a note for Brother Aaron Pegram, who School in Bridgeport. H read to them The Circus Ship by

bound student Devin Cornish, who was a senior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. He was admitted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The chapter also has spent time the past year conducting Project Alpha events at the Baltimore City Community College-Liberty Campus. H

Chris Van Dusen.

Devin Cornish (center) holds the scholarship check awarded to him from brothers of Rho Tau Lambda Chapter in June 2010.

CHAPTER NEWS

Brothers of Eta Lambda Chapter in Atlanta, Ga. pose with their mentees in the Project Exc2el Program.

FOR ETA LAMBDA PROJECT EXC2EL EQUALS SUCCESS

By James Hammond

RECENTLY, THE BROTHERS at Eta Lambda Chapter in Atlanta, Ga., soared to new heights with the Project Exc2el Program at Booker T. Washington High School.

Project Exc2el, under the direction of Brother Jayron Gresham, is a mentoring program that encompasses each of the fraternity’s national programs (Go to High School Go to College, Project Alpha, A Voteless People Is A Hopeless People and March of Dimes March for Babies). It pairs many of the chapter members with young male high school students.

Serving more than 25 students, brothers answered the call to be responsible, positive role models for the

RHO PI LAMBDA Carrollton, Ga. IN FULFILLMENT of its motto, “Large Enough to Work, Small Enough to Love, and Committed Enough to Serve,” Rho Pi Lambda Chapter continues to impact the communities near the Georgia-Alabama border, in

young men. Brothers not only mentor at the school site, but also elsewhere and during their free time.

Project Exc2el has provided the young men with valuable leadership experience, which has led to the students’ enhanced interest of leadership roles at school. Several young men are now involved in student government, and one became the school’s valedictorian.

The project’s key events and activities have included a holiday Christmas program, a Black History Month Celebration, a college tour, and a mentor vs. mentee basketball game. The program also offers scholarship opportunities to qualified participating graduating seniors. H

Carrollton, Ga. It recently produced the benefit musical “Music that Feeds the Soul: A Gospel Extravaganza,” of which a portion of the proceeds were earmarked for Haitian earthquake-disaster relief and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Atlanta.

The chapter has also worked with members of Tau Chi Chapter at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton to host the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series, which has brought several prominent speakers to the university community. H

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CHAPTER NEWS

Omicron Tau Lambda Chapter brothers pose with students participating in Project Alpha in Aiken, S.C.

OMICRON TAU LAMBDA Aiken, S.C. “WORKING TOGETHER”—it has become the theme of Omicron Tau Lambda Chapter in Aiken, S.C., and Sigma Tau Chapter at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.

Together the two chapters have conducted multiple Project-Alpha workshops; laced up their marching boots in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau for its National March to the Mailbox Day; even strutted their stuff in high-heeled shoes to raise awareness of domestic abuse; and marched for babies in the annual March of Dimes March for Babies. H

KAPPA LAMBDA Greensboro, N.C. BELIEVING YOU CAN never have enough training to be the best you can be, members of Kappa Lambda Chapter in Greensboro, N.C., have implemented the Charles Hamilton Houston Leadership Institute for Adolescent Black Males. The program is a residential leadership institute for 50 AfricanAmerican high school students in Guilford County, N.C. A partner with the School of Education at North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T) in Greensboro, the chapter received a $37,500 grant from the Historically Minority Colleges and Universities Consortium of North Carolina to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to positively impact their academic, personal and social growth. Students have participated in a series of workshops and sessions, conducted by members of Alpha Phi Alpha, that focus on leadership-development, academic success, public speaking and community service. Students have also

38 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

Students in the Charles Hamilton Houston Leadership Institute for Adolescent Black Males attend the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game after visiting the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.

toured the new International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro.

Admission to the program is free, and students receive a small stipend for their participation. Brother Anthony Graham, a faculty member at NC A&T, spearheaded the effort. H

CHAPTER NEWS

MU ALPHA Emory University Atlanta Ga. AFTER A HISTORY of breaking barriers at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., the brothers of Mu Alpha Chapter have taken their game to a new level. This academic year they hold the record of having the highest number of honors at the 175-year-old private school.

The Greek Awards are a series of commendations given annually to outstanding chapters of fraternities and sororities. The awards are handed out by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at EU. In 2010, Mu Alpha Chapter earned a total of nine awards, more than any other fraternity or sorority on campus for the year.

Brothers of Mu Alpha Chapter, with chapter advisor Brother

Gregory Bailey (far right), display their numerous awards.

Mu Alpha Chapter earned the Dean’s Cup, the highest honor given to any chapter at Emory, and in doing so became the only black-Greek-lettered organization at the university to have won the cup in the past 10 years. H

PSI LAMBDA Chattanooga, Tenn.

Brothers from Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter in Prince George’s County, Md., at the annual March for Babies event.

PI UPSILON LAMBDA Upper Marlboro, Md. BROTHERS IN the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., are preparing for the upcoming 2011 March of Dimes March for Babies.

Pi Upsilon Lambda Chapter in Upper Marlboro, Md., aims to duplicate—or surpass—last year’s successful effort that raised more than $15,000, from its participation at Watkins Park in Prince George’s

County. The chapter has been recognized as the top fundraising team in the Washington Capital area.

Members say the chapter has excelled in this critical service area, thanks in part to Brothers John Greene and Jeff Johnson, the chapter’s campaign chairman.

In addition to the March of Dimes effort, the chapter is also looking forward to its second J. Keith Wilson Beautillion program this year, which will honor and recognize deserving young men in the community with academic scholarships. H

BROTHERS WHO make their home in the Chattanooga, Tenn., area are preparing for their annual scholarship fundraiser. Psi Lambda Chapter’s plans come after a successful event last year. This year marks the sixth year for the event.

In 2010, the Scholarship Gala raised more than $4,000 in scholarship funds for deserving male high school students within the Hamilton County (Tenn.), school system.

During the gala, 50-year brothers were recognized, as were members who have shown commendable contributions in time and effort over the years. H Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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7

QUESTIONS

The Sphinx Interview

Congressman Hansen Clarke Beat Political Odds To Go From Statehouse to U.S. House young people will be off the street. It doesn’t matter who is in control of the House or Appropriations Committee or a member’s seniority to help people. That’s the traditional way of looking at congressional power. I look at it in a more innovative entrepreneurial way to help citizens.

A number of brothers ran for office in 2010. Some won, some did not.

What is your message to younger Alpha brothers about seeking public elective office?

I think it’s important that if they have a heart to serve people, they should run for office. That is what will drive you to win and drive you to work harder than anyone else, and overcome typical political obstacles.

What do brothers need to do to be involved?

I would like brothers to help those other Alphas who are candidates. That is very important—to actively do so. That is what gives meaning to the brotherhood—when they actually support their fellow brothers.

You had a tough primary race, running against the matriarch of the politically most powerful family in Detroit, who happened to be an entrenched incumbent and the mother of a fellow Alpha man?

I wish I had gotten more support from the brothers in the primary. But it was no big deal—we were able to handle that, in part because I am an Alpha man, we can handle stuff like that. But I got the support [of Alpha] when I needed it, when I was a young man. And it helped shape the direction of my life, which was critical, and that’s why I want to be a representative of our fraternity in Congress.

You’re a Detroiter, a member of Gamma Lambda Chapter. You know how tough it is in the Motor City. Michigan’s unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation, second only to Nevada. What can you do as a member of Congress—a Democrat who is in the minority party—to change that?

First of all, being in the minority only impacts the type of legislation you get can passed; that’s only a small part of a member of Congress’ role and ability to make things

40 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

happen. I know this because I have been a legislator for many years, and I’ve been a chief of staff to a congressman.

What more can you do?

There are two other things that are far more important that I can do immediately: number one, being an advocate for families and businesses that need support from the federal government. Helping people on the verge of losing their homes, by contacting people who can work with lenders. We can help small businesses at least understand clearly what the Small Business Administration has to offer them—without the business having to hire a consultant to do it. We can be an advocate to help people find jobs; offer them job training; and help them with their Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits.

The second area is that members of Congress can build alliances that can help people. I was doing this before I won the election—like working with school system, the mayor of Detroit and the U.S. Department of Education to see how we can keep schools open longer in the day and throughout the year. We need to see how we can use school buildings as community centers, and not just for youth, but training centers for adults who are out of work. We can use these centers to help those who need to upgrade their skills and also provide basic fundamental skills.

By doing all of this, we can also achieve the added benefit of reducing crime—because

Why did you become an Alpha?

I’d wanted to be an Alpha since I was an undergraduate student at Cornell University, at the home and seat of the fraternity’s first chapter—Alpha Chapter. That’s when I understood the history of what Alpha was all about. I graduated in 1984. Alpha helped influence the direction of my life in law and public service, through our late Brother Aubrey Robinson Jr., a past chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. I met him when we were both trustees of Cornell University. I was a student trustee, and he was a sitting federal judge. He wrote me a recommendation letter to Georgetown University Law Center. I know that made the difference in my being accepted. I also admired how effectively he worked with those Wall Street lawyers on the Cornell board to make his points. He was a real role model for me. I used to sit next to him many times at those board meetings, and that was another reason I wanted to be an Alpha. But I didn’t join until years later.

What have you gotten most out of your membership in Alpha?

As an only child, being an Alpha brother gave me an instant family. That’s a wonderful thing. The other thing that inspires me about being an Alpha is our commitment to education and community service. That’s so important, and I want to be able to fulfill that as a member of Congress, and to be someone who will be knowledgeable about the issues. And then really focus on serving the public. That way I can best represent our fraternity here in Congress.

INITIATIVES

A. Charles Haston Brother’s Keeper Program

ALPHA’S NEW MOVEMENT OF INTRA-FRATERNAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

By Ronald Peters and Dwight Colvin

A

ccording to Jewel Brother Henry Arthur Callis, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was organized “to bring together our college-trained men across the country to stimulate the youngsters and to work with public officials and to stage public meetings where problems of the period could be discussed and placed before those of us who had to work for their solution.”

For almost a century, under the foresight of the Jewel brothers’ fraternal wisdom, our fraternity has served as a guiding force in the academic, political and public-health pursuits of our times. Historically, there is a parallel between our fraternity’s national-program focus and the major needs of AfricanAmerican people at that specific period in time.

While Alpha Phi Alpha has been in the forefront of addressing the “extrinsic” needs of our times—from the early days of 1906 through the current world issues of the 21st century—the fraternity must now also address the “intrinsic” needs of the organization and its members.

Life expectancy is increasing, and thus with this factor is the likelihood of an increase in the number of disabled and mature Alpha family members, who will have limitations that require assistance from others. Even when they are able to maintain activities of daily living, they may not be able to perform certain

tasks, such as driving a car, lifting heavy objects, or performing basic household chores. In some cases, their ability to handle personal finances may be impeded.

In particular, many disabled and mature Alpha widows live alone. This may be due in part to the difference in the life expectancy of men and women. Men generally have higher death rates than women, and mature women are much more likely than men to live alone. However, among both sexes the chances of living alone increases with age. Among older Americans who do not drive, two-thirds stopped driving because of physical impairments and one-third of those rely on family and friends to meet their transportation needs.

For many seniors, maintaining their homes and adapting them to their changing needs is a challenge, both physically and financially. The limitations caused by advanced age place demands on brother’s family members, caregivers, and the larger community to ensure the Alpha family members are functionally independent.

To address these needs, the fraternity adopted the A. Charles Haston Brothers’ Keeper initiative as the newest national program of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. The mission of the program is to advocate for and improve the quality of life for disabled, mature, and ailing Alpha brothers, their spouses, widows and community members. The goal of the program is to promote Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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>

An Alpha member helps an elderly brother with grocery shopping in Houston, Texas.

dignity and independence among brothers, spouses, widows, and disadvantaged community members.

Brother’s Keeper Program History The idea was borne out of a meeting held in November 1999. It was at the regular monthly meeting of Alpha Eta Lambda Chapter in Houston, Texas. The chapter members had no idea that this meeting would give birth to a new opportunity to provide much needed community service.

At the meeting, Brother A. Charles Haston, a 1934 initiate from Beta Kappa Chapter at Langston University in Langston, Okla., expressed his anger with the manner in which senior, or mature, brothers were treated in the fraternity.

Brother Ron Peters, who at that time served as chairman of national programs, was present at the meeting and extremely touched by Haston’s message. Brother Peters thought about the concerns raised

by Haston and decided that the fraternity needed to address them.

Starting in December 1999, in a collaborative effort between the Houston, Texas-area chapters—Alpha Eta Lambda in Houston, Delta Theta at Texas Southern University, Eta Mu at the University of Houston

42 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

and Xi Kappa Lambda in Missouri City—brothers provided mature and disabled brothers and their widows with assistance in varying capacities.

The services offered ranged from yard work to minor home repairs to painting, but also included fellowship and sharing of the rich history of our fraternity through warm conversations. Alpha wives also participated by accompanying the brothers as they visited some of the Alpha widows.

The spirit of this program was then diffused to chapters throughout Texas. Later, in 2001, the program was adopted as a state program. At the 2002 Southwestern Regional Convention in Tulsa, Okla., the Brother’s Keeper program was recommended for

consideration as a regional program by the region’s Senior Brothers’ Affairs Committee lead by Herman “Tex” Moten.

Over the next several years, Peters and others traveled to chapters throughout the country, promoting the program to become a part of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s national agenda.

The idea would gain key momentum when then candidate for general president Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., announced his support for the program while campaigning in Texas, in April 2008.

Upon his inauguration in January 2009, Mason appointed Peters chairman of the Special Committee on New Fraternal Program Initiatives which helped draft legislation to make the Brother’s Keeper initiative a national program.

In July 2010, at the 104th Anniversary/90th General Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., Southwestern Regional Vice President Roderick L. Smothers, Sr., made a motion to make the Brother’s Keeper program a national program. It was unanimously adopted by the delegates. The Convention also incorporated it into the membershipintake process as one of the required national service projects. The program was also named in honor of Brother A. Charles Haston. H

The Brother’s Keeper Program’s namesake, A. Charles Haston (left) chats with Brother Ronald Peters, chairman of Alpha Phi Alpha’s Special Committee on New Fraternal Program Initiatives.

For more information, contact Ronald Peters via e-mail: rpeters20@comcast.net

INITIATIVES

Objectives of the A. Charles Haston Brother’s Keeper Program:

1

Assist mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows and community members in maintaining living environments that are compatible with their levels of functioning Common chronic illnesses such as arthritis and osteoporosis impose limitations on the activities of daily living for many mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows, and community members. In fact, approximately 33% of all falls among seniors and disabled people involve environmental hazards in their homes. Consequently, service offerings such as fixing loose rugs, or tightening banisters and furniture, etc., can instantly change the living environments of a senior or disabled person’s environment.

fraternity’s education for citizenship movement, many utilized our fraternity and the African-American church as their major sources of personal and familial recreation. Most young men who visit senior Alpha members benefit from firsthand knowledge and history of fraternal and African-American cultural while providing an outlet for our Alpha seniors.

5

Provide mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows and community members with legal services

As requested, free assistance is to be provided by Alpha attorneys with creation of legal documents such as wills, medical directives, trusts, and durable power of attorney affidavits. These documents are vital to addressing a variety of complicated medical, legal, and ethical situations that may arise during serious illness, incapacity, or a brother’s progression to Omega Chapter, the fraternity’s chapter of deceased members.

2

Assist mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows and community members in maintaining the upkeep of their properties

Physical and financial limitations and inability to access available resources may limit Alpha seniors in their ability to maintain their residence. In addition, chores that senior Alpha members and widows were once capable of doing such as yard work, replacing smoke detector batteries, painting, and changing outdoor light bulbs may, over time, become activities that could lead to accidents. To prevent accidents and support safety, these activities become the service offerings of the A. Charles Haston Brother’s Keeper program. (If extensive work is needed such as major remodeling, assistance is provided to help the family member obtain the services of a licensed contractor).

3

4

6

Provide mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows and community members with transportation assistance

The Brother’s Keeper program is to provide valuable support to older brothers and other senior adults who need transportation, by providing rides to medical appointments, chapter meetings, grocery stores, pharmacies and other places. This is a critical objective because it stems from senior Alpha family members “giving up their keys,” avoiding accidents due to visual impairments while concurrently promoting their quality of life.

7

Assist mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows and community members with health care decision making With the advent of managed care, there have been major revisions within the insurance industry. These changes have also affected Medicaid and Medicare. Alpha seniors may need help in making decisions regarding their medical care.

Provide mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows and community members with companionship In general, African-American seniors do not participate in social or recreational activities that are outside the realm of their individual cultural traditions, backgrounds, or experiences. Because many Alpha seniors lived through our

Ensure mature or disabled Alpha brothers, widows and community members have adequate supplies of food, water, and clothing, with special emphasis on disaster management and recovery In 2005, Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans and surrounding areas. The response (or lack thereof) to the victims, most of whom were African American, taught many lessons, the most important of which suggests that we must take care of our own people. We should not rely on the government to be the sole source to adequately provide for the health and welfare of our people when disaster strikes. During a disaster, one of our major priorities should be to take care of our brothers and their families, particularly the elderly.

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INITIATIVES

By Mark Scott

I

n Ann Arbor, Michigan, while most of the headlines of late center on the future of the University of Michigan football program and its new coach, there’s a great story going untold involving young boys who need big brothers. What’s more, it’s a genuine good story. It is a story about members of Alpha Phi Alpha, the world’s oldest collegiate fraternity of black men, reaching out to help boys who need them now more than ever.

Shenida Page, a widow of an Alpha man from the Ann Arbor area, went to Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) recently to enroll her seven-year-old son, Dorrian in the program. Alpha Phi Alpha is a major partner of BBBS across the U.S. The young widow and mother of five made a very specific request. She

wanted her son’s Big Brother to be a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Before her husband died, of an unexpected illness in 2008, Dorrian’s father had been an active member of the fraternity. Page knew about Alpha’s long-standing national partnership with the mentoring organization. She was also aware that research finds that children with BBBS mentors are more likely than their peers to stay in school, avoid violence, reject illegal activities and have positive relationships with their families and others.

To help the process along for her son, Page followed up her request to her local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency with a letter to the fraternity, in which she wrote:

Brotherly Love and

“My husband always said a woman can raise a man, but he really needs men to teach him to be a man. I’m not searching for a father for my son, but I am hoping for a mentor. My husband put down a good foundation for our sons, but I fear that the things he taught won’t stick as the years go on, and they grow into men. It would be good for them to see African-American MEN becoming educated, working, and being standup citizens of the community.”

Alpha went into action. Today, Dorrian is matched with Matthew Coats, his Big Brother who is also a member of Alpha. As for how her son is doing, Page shared the good news with Brother Dale Long, the Alpha brother who facilitated the match. Page wrote: Hello Mr. Long,

I just wanted to thank you again for helping me find a mentor for my son. Dorrian couldn’t be any happier with Matthew! Dorrian continues to do well in school and his favorite sport, soccer. And he takes pride in being a gentleman (he opens all the doors for me and his sisters; he tries to carry the heavy groceries). He wants to be a businessman and has been making his website on the Publisher program on the computer. I told him if he completes it, I will pay to have it on the web for a month.

He carries a briefcase instead of a backpack. It took a minute for me to find a briefcase small enough for him.

I know that Dorrian will be great at whatever he does, and I know surrounding him with people that he can see doing great things is very important.

So, thank you again for participating in making a difference in my son’s life.

—Shenida

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On the BBBS official poster, big Brother Jeremy Harmon gives a lift to his Little Brother Alonzo.

INITIATIVES

The Ann Arbor story is one of many across the country. For example, Mark Tillman, the Midwestern Region vice president of the fraternity, has not only challenged members of Alpha to be big brothers, he is one—to his little brother Crispin.

In East St. Louis, Ill., Delta Epsilon Lambda Chapter is levering the mentorship of Little Brother Alonzo by Big Brother and Alpha member Jeremy Harmon. Altogether, they are encouraging men in the city to mentor young men and boys into lives of greater character.

A photograph of the two has been used in posters to promote the BBBS effort.

Frank Duffy was initiated at Delta Theta Chapter at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, just ahead of Dale Long.

Duffy made it a habit to always encourage the young brothers of

Mentoring HELP YOUNG SON OF LATE ALPHA MAN

Big Brother Mark Tillman with his Little Brother Crispin.

Delta Theta to step up and mentor as Big Brothers. In 1974, Dale Long said, yes! Brother Long has provided service to six Little Brothers and nationwide leadership to Big Brothers Big Sisters ever since.

Big Brothers Big Sisters operates under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. This belief operates particularly for children who are in single-parent and lowincome families or from households in which a parent is incarcerated.

This belief has driven Big Brothers Big Sisters to become the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network.

To make meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers and children, Big Brothers Big Sisters provides a system of ongoing evaluation and support, which is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that “Littles” will perform better in school and avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. H

For more information, visit www.mentoringbrothers.org.

Big Brother Matthew Coats with his Little Brother Dorrian.

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INITIATIVES

Alpha Targets Obesity: Healthy Bodies Make Healthy Minds What is the obesity project?

The Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural and Minority Medicine (IAMMM), through a grant awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is conducting the “Compelling Community Collaboration to Address Childhood Obesity.” The one-year project is designed to train, support and monitor 10 national organizations as they implement education and advocacy initiatives to lessen and eliminate childhood obesity in schools and neighborhoods. Since February 2009, Alpha Phi Alpha has been engaged in conversations and meetings with several organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the March of Dimes to gather information and materials to share with local communities.

Who is involved?

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents; Chi Eta Phi Sorority; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; Girls, Inc.; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; National Association of Black Social Workers; National Alliance of Black School Educators; Student National Medical Association; and The Links.

What is the goal of the obesity project?

The one-year project is designed to train, support and monitor 10 national organizations as they implement education and advocacy initiatives to lessen and eliminate childhood obesity in schools and neighborhoods. Areas to address include encouraging policy-change, advocacy and direct community project/school involvement.

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By Michael A. Smith, M.D.

Who are the key players?

Prevalence of obesity among children ages six to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years, going from 6.5% in 1980 to 17.0% in 2006.

The obesity rate among adolescents ages 12 to 19 more than tripled, increasing from 5% to 17.6%.

The Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural and Minority Medicine, which is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization focused on the elimination of health disparities among underrepresented and underserved multicultural communities.

What’s the timeline of the project?

One year for completion and implementation of the individual pilot program. After the pilot program is evaluated and approved by the IAMMM, the program will result in a model for childhood-obesity prevention and management that can be institutionalized for replication by Alpha chapters across the country and around the world.

Why is Alpha Phi Alpha involved?

What is Alpha’s commitment to this partnership?

The fraternity is involved as a “Community Collaborator,” and is committed to participate in a one-year pilot program, spearheaded

by Epsilon Tau Lambda Chapter in Prairie View, Texas. The brothers there were to create and implement a community-schoolbased program to address and educate the community on ways to lessen childhood obesity. Among other projects, the Alpha men in Prairie View have developed a Child Health Initiative Tool Kit to share with other Alpha chapters. The brothers have also continued anti-obesity efforts in the Waller County, Texas, area through educating students and the local community about the importance of physical activity; healthy eating and food selection.

Obesity is one of the targeted areas of the fraternity’s Dr. Henry Arthur Callis AfricanAmerican Male Health Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to educate and address the many disparities plaguing the AfricanAmerican community. The initiative targets hypertension, stroke, diabetes, prostate and colon cancer, HIV/AIDS and obesity, thus fostering the continuation of our fraternity’s campaign to promote wellness and proactive healthcare. The branding slogan for the initiative is ‘LIVE WELL - O SIX’ which stands for: O-Opt for healthy lifestyle choices; S-Seek opportunities to learn more about health; I-Identify health issues in our communities; X-eXtinguish health disparities.

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A R T S A N D C U LT U R E

Advancing The Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching in the NFL

BY N. JEREMI DURU

BY ERIC JEROME DICKEY

Oxford; 192 pages

Dutton; 368 pages

IN 1946, the NFL’s desegregation resulted in lucrative opportunities for African Americans as players but not as head coaches, very likely the byproduct of the NFL’s good ol’ boy network and lingering stereotypes of blacks’ intellectual inferiority. By the 1989 NFL season, over 60 percent of the league was made up of players of color, but all 32 head coaches were white. Fast forward to Super Bowl XLI in 2007, and the game’s two opposing head coaches, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, were both African American, obviously a significant milestone of how far the league has come and perhaps of how much further it still has to go.

As Temple University law professor Brother Jeremi Duru reveals in Advancing The Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL, this milestone was the result of the work of a determined group of people whose struggles to expand head-coaching opportunities for African Americans ultimately changed the National Football League.

Advancing The Ball chronicles the campaign of former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman John Wooten to undo decades of discriminatory head-coach hiring practices, an initiative that finally made headway when he joined forces with attorneys Cyrus Mehri and Johnnie Cochran. Together with a few allies, they inspired the NFL’s African-American assistant coaches to stand together and convinced the league to enact the “Rooney Rule,” which stipulates that every team must interview at least one minority candidate when searching for a new head coach. In doing so, they spurred a movement that would substantially impact the NFL and, potentially, the nation.

Featuring an impassioned foreword by former coach Tony Dungy, Advancing The Ball offers a first-hand look at how a few committed individuals initiated a significant change in one of America’s most popular sports. H

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Tempted by Trouble

IN HIS LATEST NOVEL, New York Times best-selling author Brother Eric Jerome Dickey reminds us that we can plan all we want, but sometimes fate has a different agenda.

In Tempted by Trouble Dmytryk was a respectable man, once.

College educated, happily married, a stable job at a car factory in Detroit. He’s the king of the world with nowhere to go but up.

But when a crippling recession annihilates the auto industry, Dmytryk and his wife Cora suddenly find themselves without jobs. And after two years of trying to live honestly, they begin to realize that honesty just doesn’t pay the bills.

Afraid of losing her home and her marriage, Cora compromises her faith and makes some choices that she isn’t proud of. And when a powerful and ruthless crime boss named Eddie Coyle gives them an opportunity to buy back their old lives, Cora urges Dmytryk to “man up.” All he has to do is join Eddie’s crime ring and rob some banks: two minutes, in and out, nobody gets hurt. Torn between desperation and his moral integrity, Dmytryk gives in, but no sooner does he enter a life of crime than Cora abandons him, taking with her his dreams for a better life and disappearing without a trace.

Now, more determined than ever to get his life back on track, Dmytryk is only one bank job away from having enough money to leave Eddie Coyle and find Cora. But when the job goes dangerously wrong, he realizes yet again that destiny has another plan for him. Forced into seclusion with one of his partners—a dangerous and damaged woman with a plan of her own—Dmytryk wonders if he’ll ever find his way back to his old life. And in the end, will he even want to.H

BROTHERS ON THE MOVE

Left: Brother Bobby Smith with his fencing students in Detroit, Mich.

Below: En Garde! Fencing students at the ready.

WITH POINT OF HIS SWORD, SMITH’S HELPING PUT DETROIT BACK IN DRIVER’S SEAT

By Rick Blalock MOST SCHOOLS offer varsity basketball, football, track and field, but how many can claim they have a fencing team? Brother Bobby Smith is out to change that—in, of all places, the blue-collar city of Detroit, Mich.

Smith is the head coach and founder of En Garde!

Detroit. It is one of the first social entrepreneurial companies in the U.S. dedicated to the sport of fencing.

Its focus is on athletic recreation, competition, community outreach, youth-development and mentoring.

Smith, a 2005 initiate from Alpha Upsilon Chapter at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He currently is a member of Gamma Lambda Chapter, the fraternity’s largest alumni chapter in metro Detroit.

A native of Newark, N.J., Smith was introduced to fencing in his early teen years while attending St. Benedict’s Preparatory in Newark. He enrolled at Wayne State on an athletic scholarship and joined the university’s men’s fencing team, eventually becoming its leader.

Under his sword, WSU ranked in the top 10 in the U.S., year after year. In his freshman year, Smith was ranked in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) top 25 in the sport.

Smith is putting his expertise to use by helping a city down on its luck, while continuing to be involved in the sport he loves. Working with state and local authorities,

Smith has established partnerships with community groups, recreation centers and educational facilities, and is using En Garde! Detroit as the vehicle to increase exposure to the sport of fencing among young people.

His efforts have not gone unnoticed. The City of Detroit recently bestowed on him one of the city’s highest honors, the Spirit of Detroit Award, for his outstanding efforts to provide youths with a new sport in which to excel—and the unique opportunity to build character and citizenship skills.

Smith is not only winning awards in Detroit, he’s helping the helping the economically suffering city financially, by pumping in new convention dollars. En Garde! was the successful bidder to host one of the 2011 North American Cup (NAC) competitions. The NAC is one of the premiere events presented by the United States Fencing Association (USFA), the recognized national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States, which operates under the auspices of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The event held in the spring at Detroit’s Cobo Convention Center was estimated to attract as many as 10,000 visitors, providing an economic impact of $2 million dollars tax revenue.

To learn more about fencing and Smith’s program, visit www.EnGardeDetroit.com. H

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BROTHERS ON THE MOVE JAMAAL O. BAILEY After several years as an “employee” Brother Jamaal O. Bailey is now busy making power moves and fulfilling his dream of being an entrepreneur.

He recently took the plunge and established his own event-management agency in New York City, Aesthetic Event Management Group. Aesthetic specializes in transforming a client’s ideas into unforgettable experiences. Although newly formed, the agency rests on the vast experience of Bailey and a handpicked group of highly talented and innovative professionals. His team members are from diverse backgrounds who together bring more than two decades of experience to the company.

Bailey was initiated at Beta Gamma Chapter in 1997 at Virginia State University (VSU) in Petersburg, Va. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from there and a Master of Science degree in criminal justice from the University of Baltimore in Baltimore, Md. In addition to starting up his own business, he is also the director of conferences and special events for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) in New York.

Prior to joining the TMCF he spent eight years on staff at the corporate headquarters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

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You can reach Bailey and his firm on the web at www. aesthetics-event.com.

JOSEPH K. BYRD A past president of Sigma Lambda Chapter in New Orleans, La., Brother Joseph K. Byrd, was recently recognized by the New Orleans Metro Chapter of 100 Black Men of America with its first ‘Man of the Year Award.’

Byrd, a life member of Alpha, who was initiated in 1982, is vice president for student services at Xavier University of Louisiana, in New Orleans. He was recognized because of his leadership and service to his profession, church and the local community. He serves as co-chair of the 100’s Membership Committee and is a member of its Mentoring and Education Committee.

Byrd earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Miss., and has a diploma in management from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

GOW FIELDS When it was time to pick a new mayor last November, voters in Lakeland, Fla., chose an Alpha man to lead their city.

Brother Gow Fields, a 1989 initiate of Alpha, at Mu Zeta Lambda Chapter, had been a city commissioner for

nine years. During his tenure on the commission he worked tirelessly in Polk County, to mend the rift between factions within the county.

Gow is the owner of Fields Insurance & Financial Group. He is a member of the Lakeland Area Mass Transit District Board, the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce, the Tampa Bay Partnership and a member of the MyRegion. org board of advisors. He is a member of the Downtown Lakeland Kiwanis, plus several other organizations.

Gow earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa and a Master of Business Administration degree from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla. NORMAN FLEMING Norman Fleming was recently appointed senior director of IT Client Relationship Management at Astellas Pharma US, the American unit of Astellas Pharma, the second-largest drug company in Japan. He oversees a number of business-solution areas, provides strategic IT leadership, and provides a broad understanding of how technology can be applied to fulfill business objectives. He also leads the governance process for the company’s Americas region in US, Canada, Central America

and South America.

Prior to joining Astellas, Brother Fleming was a program-integration leader at Deloitte Consulting. Fleming designed, led and operated large-scale technologydelivery programs with a strong focus on predictability, results-management, method-alignment, delivery, risk, quality and estimation.

Prior to joining Deloitte, he worked with Merck & Co. in Philadelphia, Pa., and for Kraft Foods, Inc., in Chicago, Ill. Fleming, a life member of the fraternity, was initiated into Alpha in 1984 at Beta Eta Chapter at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill. He has spent 23 years as a business leader, working in corporate America and is past chapter president of Mu Mu Lambda Chapter in the western suburbs of Chicago.

He received a Master of Business Administration in Information Systems degree at DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University.

JARVIS T. HARRIS When Mu Zeta Chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) initiated Brother Jarvis T. Harris in 1991, members knew they were

BROTHERS ON THE MOVE making a leader.

Most recently, he was named as the first AfricanAmerican chair of the Guilford Education Alliance in Guilford County. The Alliance is a countywide nonprofit organization, which focuses on earlychildhood education and workforce preparedness, and works with Guilford County Public Schools.

Harris has also been named the vice chair of the board of trustees of the Guilford Technical Community College; he has severed on the board for several years.

In Alpha, Harris has been president of Kappa Lambda Chapter in Greensboro, N.C. Under his leadership the chapter won the fraternity’s national Alumni Chapter of the Year Award in 2005. That same year he was named national Alumni Brother of the Year. Harris, who is also a professional photographer, serves as photographer for The Sphinx and covers regional and general conventions. He has also been the Southern Region executive director.

Harris received his bachelor’s degree and his law degree from UNC. DENNIS HATCHETT U.S. Foodservice, one of the country’s leading foodservice distributors, has named Dennis Hatchett president of its Baltimore division.

Hatchett is responsible for >

ALPHA SCHOLAR GOLPHIN TEACHES BEIJING STUDENTS ABOUT CULTURE

Brother Vincent F.A. Golphin (center), visiting professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, with his students at the university’s 60th annual Youth Day celebration, which honors students and commemorates China’s Cultural Revolution.

VINCENT F.A. GOLPHIN, a member of Eta Rho Lambda Chapter in Rochester, N.Y., thrives on challenges and adventures. In China, he recently grabbed yet another opportunity for both.

From February to August last year, Golphin, an assistant professor in the Department of English at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, N.Y., was a visiting scholar and cultural ambassador during the Spring 2010 term at Capital Normal University the, national teacher’s college in Beijing, China.

Golphin, who teaches creative writing and literary and cultural studies, is the author or editor of seven books and his writings have appeared in several publications including The Washington Post, National Catholic Reporter and Emerge magazine. As a scholar he is noted for his work in African-American culture and identity. While in China’s capital city, he taught 12 classes each week, instructing graduate students on U.S. language, culture and pedagogy.

“Many of my students have been groomed to teach outside of China,” Golphin said. “The nation seems very interested in the spread of Chinese culture throughout the world. That is why university officials were particularly interested that I share ideas about African Americans and all people in our society, as well as techniques for student-focused education.”

His weekly courses also included sessions on everyday American English and conversation for full- and part-time undergraduates.

“I was the first English instructor they had who did not speak, understand or read Chinese,” said Golphin. “That predicament and many students’ limited grasp of spoken English presented a tall task for all of us. In the end, however, we exercised patience. I learned to be a little more Chinese, the students learned to be a little Western.”

Golphin’s work impressed university officials in Beijing so much they invited him back to teach in 2011.

“Professor Golphin’s rich teaching experiences and his achievements as a writer and cultural researcher were a tremendous benefit for both the faculty and students of Capital Normal University,” said Qi Junhua, head of the university’s School of Literature.

Golphin holds a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees, and earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree at Binghamton University in Vestal, N.Y. He begins his second tour of teaching in the Peoples Republic of China in March 2011. H Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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BROTHERS ON THE MOVE the management of sales, marketing, operations and finance for the division, which covers territory in Washington D.C., and Maryland.

In this new position, Hatchett moves up from his role as president of the company’s Omaha division.

He has also held numerous executive-management positions at the company, including corporate vice president of strategic marketsegment development.

A published author, Brother Hatchett is the founder of the Urban Speculative Fiction Literary Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to develop the life skills, business acumen, literary talents, imaginations and aspirations of youths through speculative fiction. He has also been nominated for several literary awards, including his receiving one at the 2006 African American Literary Awards Show in New York.

In 1984, Hatchett joined the fraternity at Eta Omicron Chapter while he was a student at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, N.C. He was previously a member of Beta Xi Lambda Chapter in Omaha, Neb., and is currently a member of his new Alpha chapter in Maryland. Hatchett is also active in the community, serving on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands and the Omaha Public Library Foundation, and

52 THE SPHINX H Winter 2011

he is a member of the 100 Black Men of America.

Hatchett received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University (NCSU) and an executive MBA degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga. BRUCE HUFF SR. Columbus, Ga., home to the U.S. Army’s massive Fort Benning, has an Alpha man on its city council this year. Brother Bruce Huff Sr., owner and operator of a family funeral business, defeated the District 3

incumbent in a December runoff election, with 66 percent of the vote.

Huff’s district is located next to Fort Benning, and he says his greatest concern is diversity and how the city funds are spent.

Huff was initiated in 1981 at Delta Iota Lambda Chapter in Columbus. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla. MARVIN MIZELL San Diego, Calif., lawyers are about to get their firstever African-American male leader in Marvin Mizell.

Brother Mizell was recently selected to lead the San Diego County Bar

Association. This marks a milestone for the group—it has never had a black male president in its 100-year history. Mizell will serve as president-elect in 2011 and take office as president in 2012.

Mizell is currently deputy attorney general with the California Office of the Attorney General. A native of San Diego, Calif., he is a graduate of San Diego State University, San Diego, Calif., and received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis in Davis, Calif. Mizell is a 2005 initiate of Alpha

MCGEE EARNS BOY SCOUTS’ TOP HONOR AT NATIONAL JAMBOREE RETIRED U.S. AIR FORCE Col. Brother Charles McGee was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award at a VIP reception during the 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree. The 2010 Jamboree was held at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia and highlighted the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

McGee, an original Tuskegee Airman, accepted the honor before a standingroom-only audience of other distinguished eagle scouts and senior jamboree staff, who gathered to honor his lifetime achievements.

The award presented by the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) honors the best of the best based upon national or international prominence in a career field or community service. McGee is one of only 1,800 eagle scouts out of 1.2 million to ever earn the

Brother Charles McGee (center) is congratulated by fellow Alpha men and eagle scouts James W. Palmer Jr., (left) and Darrin Thomas (right).

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.

A 1940 initiate at Tau Chapter at the University of Illinois-Champaign, McGee holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in Chicago. He currently is active with Iota Upsilon Lambda Chapter in Silver Spring, Md. H

BROTHERS ON THE MOVE LIONEL MOISE INITIATED AT Eta Delta Chapter at the University of Miami in Miami, Fla. in 2007, Brother Lionel Moise is completing an appointment with the William J. Clinton Foundation. He is part of the Haiti Launch Team, in support of former President Clinton’s role as co-chair of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) with Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.

Moise, a student journalist, is responsible for developing projects and partnerships with health organizations to support the needs of amputees. In addition, he’s been assisting in correspondence and planning for many of the IRHC co-chairs’ meetings and events.

He has also been accepted in the Gannett Company’s Talent Development Program, in which he will be producing multimedia journalism stories, setting him on a track to become a reporter for one of the company’s television properties. H Brother Lionel Moise (left) with former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

and a member of Zeta Sigma Lambda Chapter in San Diego.

KEVIN POWELL After a second run for U.S. Congress, Brother Kevin Powell has now returned back to another key passion of his, writing and advocacy. Powell recently signed a twobook deal with publishing house Simon & Schuster.

The first book will be Kevin’s long-awaited memoir about a boy with a mother and no father. The book is slated for press in fall 2012.

Immediately following the completion of his memoir, Powell will begin writing Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography.

Powell expects the book to be the definitive biography on the life and times of the late Tupac Shakur, consider to be one of the greatest icons in hip hop and pop-culture history.

He covered Shakur extensively while on the staff of Vibe magazine in the 1990s.

Powell, initiated at Eta Zeta Chapter in New York, N.Y., has written or edited 10 books.

BYRON RICHARDSON Initiated at Omicron Lambda Alpha Chapter in Washington, D.C., in 2003, Brother Byron Richardson recently made a run for a seat in the Maryland General Assembly.

He was in the Primary

Election for the House of Delegates District 24 post which covers parts of Prince George’s County.

Richardson fell short in the primary, in a large field of candidates.

Richardson holds a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. The past three years he has been an associate county attorney for Prince George’s County.

In the midst of Richardson’s educational and professional endeavors, the experience of being a

caretaker and advocate for his grandmother, who required skilled nursing care, has defined his vision of service. In 2008, he was appointed to the Prince George’s County Advisory Committee on Aging where he has been a zealous advocate for seniors.

JOSEPH ROBINSON As chapter president of Zeta Theta Lambda Chapter in Harrisburg, Pa., Brother Joseph Robinson Jr. has a lot of responsibility, but not just in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. In addition to making his chapter a major force in Pennsylvania’s capital city, Robinson is also a leader Winter 2011 H THE SPHINX

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BROTHERS ON THE MOVE in the areas of economics, health and leadership development in his community.

In July 2010, Robinson was featured on ‘The Garrett Report’ in Austin, Texas, with the Rev. Frank Garrett, a pastor and progressive commentator, to discuss Robinson’s book 7 Leadership Imperatives from a Wild Man and how these imperatives apply to today’s issues.

Robinson is executive director of the Martin Luther King Leadership Development Institute and

executive director of the South Central Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council.

A 1979 initiate, he joined Alpha Phi Alpha at Iota Beta Chapter, while a student at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Va. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UVA in 1980.

PHILLIP WALKER Lakeland, Florida’s, newest city commission member is Alpha Brother Phillip Walker. Initiated in 1972, at Iota Chapter at Morris Brown College in Atlanta,

Ga., Walker was a charter member of the Mu Zeta Lambda Chapter in 1979. He earned his master’s degree at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. Along with the Lakeland mayor, also an Alpha brother, the city commission hires and supervises the city manager among other duties. In his church, Christ Community Church in Lakeland, Walker serves as a minister. In his local Alpha chapter he is the historian.

For more than 19 years, Walker has owned a

Lakeland Allstate Insurance agency. Prior to entering the private sector, he was a Lakeland police officer.

In 2000, Phillip received the Polk Mentoring Award from then Gov. Jeb Bush. H

The

If you know of a brother on the move, please contact us at sphinx@apa1906.net.

SNORTON, WOODWARD, CARTWRIGHT AND CRAWFORD MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION

Brothers Andrew Snorton (left) and Michael Woodward on the Spring Break College

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BROTHERS MICHAEL WOODWARD, Andrew Snorton, Willie Cartwright and Evan Crawford are making positive headway in their community through service and outreach. Through their nonprofit organization, the LEAD Foundation, Inc.—which includes board members Latabia Woodward and Sharon Edwards—nearly 300 young people in grades six through 12 are afforded yearround academic, professional and personal-support opportunities. The organization’s aim is to develop tomorrow’s leaders today. Their male-mentorship effort, REEL Project, serves nearly 100 young men in grades six through 10; and the ALPHA Leadership Program provides nearly 110 youths—males and females in grades six through 12—with hands-on academic, professional, and personal-enrichment opportunities.

The program’s 2010 Spring Break College Tour afforded 50 students the opportunity to visit multiple colleges and universities in Georgia and Florida. Furthering the brothers’ commitment is the establishment of their Katherine Snorton Scholarship Program, which provides nearly $30,000 in funding opportunities for graduating high school seniors and current college undergraduates. For more information, visit www.theleadfoundation.org. H

O M E G A : Chapter of Sweet Rest

Wilks was Historically Significant Aviator, Legend in his Own Time

T

here are many firsts and many pioneers, but few legends. Bobby C. Wilks is one of the few legends.

He was the first African-American in U.S. Coast Guard history to become an aviator and to reach the rank of captain.

Through hard work, patient and persistence, he not only changed the history of the Coast Guard but the lives of others as well, while fulfilling his boyhood dream.

Bobby Charles Wilks was born on May 12, 1931, in St. Louis, Mo. As a young boy, he spent his spare time building model airplanes for a local store owner and dreaming of one day becoming a great pilot. Little did he know at the time, he would achieve his dream and so much more.

He graduated from high school in 1947 and attended Stowe Teacher’s College (now Harris-Stowe State University) in St. Louis, where he was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha in 1949 at Alpha Eta Chapter.

After attending Stowe for two years, he was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy. He attended in 1950-51 before returning to Stowe, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954; he finished his senior year as president of his class, president of the school’s choir, president of Alpha Eta Chapter as well as captain of the track team.

He also received a Master of Arts in Education Administration degree at the University of St. Louis in 1955. Later in the fall of that year, he began his Coast Guard career enlisting in the Reserve and was ordered to Officer Candidate School at the Coast Guard Academy.

He graduated in February 1956 and was commissioned an ensign.

Assigned to the Naval Air Basic Training Command, in Pensacola, Fla., Wilks was a flight student who also trained at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he graduated and was designated Coast Guard Aviator No. 735 on March 25, 1957. He then flew search and rescue missions in northern California, at which time he was promoted to lieutenant junior grade.

Top: Lt. Wilks, in his role as operations officer at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, Barber’s Point, Hawaii, (circa 1960) maps out a patrol assignment for other aviators. Photo by U.S. Coast Guard; Right: Capt. Wilks, in later years.

Back in Pensacola, after four months of helicopter training, he earned the designation of Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot No. 343. By the summer of 1961, he reached the rank of lieutenant.

He spent the next year at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., as an assistant cadet procurement officer, during which he traveled throughout the U.S., informing young African-American men of the opportunities with the Coast Guard Academy. Having made it further than any other African American in the Coast Guard before him, Wilks was determined to share his experiences with others.

After a stint as senior operations officer at the Coast Guard Air Station in Brooklyn, N.Y., he spent several years at the air station in Miami, Fla., where he carried out extensive search and rescue missions, including saving three men trapped in the Florida Everglades.

From March 1965 to July 1968, he served as executive officer at the air station in Naples, Italy. He flew extensively throughout the Mediterranean area, as well as over Europe. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on July 1, 1965.

By 1970, back in the U.S., he received the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) special “We Point With Pride” plaque award for rescuing a civilian student pilot lost over the Atlantic Ocean. Using a helicopter, Wilks

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O M E G A : Chapter of Sweet Rest CONTINUED FROM PAGE 55 guided the lost flyer to the shore and a safe landing. The student pilot landed with only five minutes of fuel remaining.

In July 1970, Wilks was promoted to commander. He later would earn the Air Medal for meritorious achievement for leading a perilous “medico” evacuation of a heart attack-stricken master of a Soviet vessel 116 miles east of Hawaii on Dec. 9, 1971.

He was promoted to captain on Sept. 1, 1977, and given command of Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn in September 1979.

By 1982, he was a leader in search and rescue at the FAA.

Capt. Wilks retired from the Coast Guard on July 1, 1986, after 30 years of service. When he retired he had over 6,000 flight hours in 21 different types of aircraft, including over 2,000 hours in helicopters. He was the highest-ranking African American in the Coast Guard.

During his career Brother Wilks established a number of Coast Guard “firsts,” including becoming the first African American to make the rank of captain, the first African-American Coast Guard aviator, and the first African American to command an Air Station.

Wilks, who lived in Fairfax County, Va., with his wife of 42 years, Aida, had one son, Bobby Sean.

He entered Omega Chapter on July 13, 2009, following complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., with full military honors. He was 78. H

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Phillip Cochran, 77, of Aurora, Colo., was a member of Delta Psi Lambda Chapter in Denver, Colo. Initiated in 1975, he was a life member of the fraternity and one of its esteemed regional vice presidents.

He worked as a barber while attending South Carolina State University (SCSU) in Orangeburg, S.C., until he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950. He ultimately earned his undergraduate degree from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.

He fought in the Korean conflict, flying B-29 bombers as a tail gunner, distinguishing himself, and earning the Air Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. Cochran received an honorable discharge in 1954. He received his primary weapons training at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver/Aurora, Col., and liked the area so much that he returned to Colorado and made it his home.

In Colorado, he held various jobs, including deputy sheriff in Denver County, and worked in the molybdenum mines in the mountains of Colorado. He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU), studying law for two years and working on a master’s degree in political science.

After leaving CU, Cochran began a long and successful career in personnel at the City of Denver Water Board. After retiring from there, he worked as a substitute teacher with Denver Public Schools. He was also involved with Democratic Party politics and worked with various communitybased organizations.

In Alpha, he served as Western Region vice president from 1991 to 1995, and he attended many conventions and meetings religiously until his health

began to fail. For 57 years Cochran was a devoted and committed member of Peoples Presbyterian Church in Denver; he served on many committees, prepared an untold number of friedcatfish and shrimp Creole dinners for the church, and most notably, he served as an elder and as clerk of session for many years.

He entered Omega Chapter on Dec. 17, 2009, following a lengthy illness.

James Arthur Hudson Sr., 93, of South Hill, Va., was a life member of Epsilon Omicron Lambda Chapter in Lawrenceville, Va., where was initiated in 1975.

A native of Mecklenburg County, Va., Hudson attended St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Va., and Virginia State College (now Virginia State University) in Petersburg, Va. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II; he was honorably discharged in 1946. After earning a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree he taught in the classrooms of Mecklenburg County for 43 years; he also taught adulteducation classes.

Over the years, Hudson held several offices in Epsilon Omicron Lambda Chapter, including chapter auditor, a post he held for many years. In addition to Alpha Phi Alpha, he was a member of the following organizations: Bluestone Harmony Association & Ministries in Keysville, Va., of which he was former secretary; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Lake Country Area Agency on Aging in South Hill; Mecklenburg County Retired Teachers Association; Community

O M E G A : Chapter of Sweet Rest Memorial Hospital Trustee Board, on which he served; the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP); Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors, on which he had served– for over 20 years–as Virginia’s eldest county supervisor prior to his death; and the Department of Social Services.

Hudson was a member of Lombardy Grove Baptist Church in South Hill, where served as a Sunday school teacher for more than 40 years.

In 1940, he was ordained as a deacon and served faithfully as chairman of the church’s deacon board for more than 57 years.

He entered Omega Chapter on April 30, 2010.

Amos M. Jordan was initiated in 1968 and was a member of Gamma Iota Lambda Chapter in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Brother Jordan, who held a Doctor of Education degree, was a longtime educator and lecturer. He also served for many years as advisor to Delta Chi Chapter at Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York. He was a longtime member and the historian of his church, the historic Bridge Street Church in Brooklyn. From 1854 to 1938 it was the African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church, the first black congregation in Brooklyn.

Jordan, along with several other octogenarians, was honored by the African Episcopal Methodist (AME)

Church’s First Episcopal District in July, 2010. The Church noted in a special publication that Jordan and others were “persons who have trained, mentored, strengthened, and helped us to develop and grow spiritually over the years.”

He entered Omega Chapter in late-August 2010.

Garrett Laws was initiated into Alpha on Sept. 1, 1939, at Phi Lambda Chapter in Raleigh, N.C. He earned a degree in agricultural economics from The Agricultural and Technical College of North

Cook Was Leading Educator in Texas Robert “Bob” A. Cook, 77, of Beaumont, Texas, was a member of Gamma Tau Lambda Chapter in Beaumont. He was initiated in 1949 at Gamma Alpha Chapter at Texas College in Tyler, Texas.

Cook earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Southern University (now Southern University and A&M College) in Baton Rouge, La., and a Master in Education degree at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. His other academic pursuits included studies at Lamar University in Beaumont; Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.; and State University of New York.

Cook’s serving two years with the U.S. Army was followed by his return to Beaumont, where he worked with the Beaumont Independent School District in the positions of teacher, assistant principal, principal of Dunbar Junior High School, and principal of Beaumont-Charlton-Pollard High

School. In 1975, Cook was promoted to assistant superintendent for administration. He retired from the school district in 1991 after 39 years of service.

Later as a lecture-consultant to educational-secretaries groups, he addressed local, state and regional conferences, conventions and workshops on efficiency and etiquette skills and professional responsibilities.

Cook’s personal and professional memberships and committees on which he served are too numerous to list entirely; however, in addition to Alpha Phi Alpha, a few included: McCabeRoberts Avenue United Methodist Church in Beaumont; the Beaumont Board of Missions, on which he served as vice president; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), of which he was a golden heritage member; and

Brother Cook waves to the crowd.

The Thousandaire Club, of which he was charter member. He was a shareholder in the Church Builders Fellowship and an ardent supporter of Some Other Place, an ecumenical mission in urban ministry in Beaumont.

Cook entered Omega Chapter on March 23, 2010. H Winter 2011H THE SPHINX

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O M E G A : Chapter of Sweet Rest Carolina (now North Carolina A&T State University) in Greensboro, N.C., in 1937. He served as a corporal in the U.S. Army’s 392nd Engineer Regiment in Normandy, Northern France and Central Europe during World War II.

An active member in the fraternity, Brother Laws retired from the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, where he worked as an educator and principal. He also coached basketball in Wake County for more than 30 years and coordinated area 4-H youth-development clubs.

He entered Omega Chapter on July 24, 2010

David Leon Mallette, Sr., 84, of Raleigh, N.C., was a member of Phi Lambda Chapter in Raleigh, at which he was initiated on Nov. 1, 1978.

Mallette attended Fayetteville State Teachers College (now Fayetteville State University) for a year before his studies were interrupted by his being drafted to serve in World War II; he served as a medical corpsman in the U.S. Navy. At the end of his military service, Brother Mallette continued his studies at The Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now North Carolina A&T State University) in Greensboro, N.C., where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry degree, and a master’s degree in biology and education. He earned a doctorate in science education from North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

Professionally, he was an educator for 47 years at the high school and college levels. He retired from the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh as the assistant director of the Science Division. He later retired from

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St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh as professor and chairman of the biology department. Even in his eighties he advised and tutored many students.

He was a member of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh. During his tenure at St. Ambrose, he served on the Laymen’s Group, the Vestry and as senior warden.

In addition to being a member of Alpha, Mallette belonged was a member of Guys and Dolls, Les Gents; North Carolina A&T State University Alumni Association, Inc.; Blacks United in Government; and several Raleigh area public and private organizations.

He was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine–one of the highest honors the governor of North Carolina can bestow on a citizen (past recipients include famous Tar Heels as Maya Angelou, the Rev. Billy Graham, Michael Jordan). In 1978, he and his wife established a local children’s nursery and child-development center.

He entered Omega Chapter on Friday March 12, 2010, following a lengthy illness.

Carlisle S. Parker, Sr., 75, of Montclair, N.J., was a member of Alpha Alpha Lambda Chapter of Greater Essex County in New Jersey. A life member, he was initiated on April 1, 1955, at Beta Iota Chapter at WinstonSalem State University (WSSU) in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Brother Parker was a native of Glen Ridge, N.J.; however, he spent his formative years in Wilson, N.C., moving there at the age nine. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree at WSSU, where he attained membership in Phi Delta Kappa, the national education honors society. He

later received a master’s in education degree at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., and did advanced graduate work at Rutgers University in New Jersey and at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

Parker began his career in education in Wilson, NC, where he taught fifth-grade and “beginning” clarinet. He spent 45 years teaching junior high school students in New Jersey, and later became a vice principal with Paterson (New Jersey) Public Schools.

He joined Alpha Alpha Lambda Chapter in 1966, and served as president for two terms; director of membership intake for eight terms; and also served as chapter historian. He was also an avid supporter of the Leadership Development Institute and the chapter’s Scholarship Committee.

Parker helped organize the New Jersey Association of Alpha Phi Alpha Chapters, and he served as its second president. He also served as recording secretary for the Eastern Region; was a member of the Eastern Regional Committee for Constitutional Changes; and judged the fraternity’s oratorical contests on both the regional and national levels.

Parker was involved in various church and civic activities. He was a deacon at Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., and was an advisor with its After-School Tutoring Program. He also served on the board of trustees at Union Baptist Church in Montclair, NJ, and as chairman of the church’s scholarship foundation. He was secretary of the board of directors of the Union Montclair Housing Corporation; a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); a member of the Montclair Urban League; and served on the Montclair Civil Rights Commission.

He entered Omega Chapter on April 19, 2010, after battling colon cancer. H

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Henry Arthur Callis

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

LEADERSHIP DIRECTORY

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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General President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. president@apa1906.net Immediate Past General President Darryl R. Matthews, Sr. drmatthews@apa1906.net General Treasurer Hyacinth Ahuruonye generaltreasurer@apa1906.net Comptroller Frank A. Jenkins, III frankaj@bellsouth.net Regional Vice President - East Sean McCaskill vicepresident@alphaeast.com Regional Vice President - Midwest Mark Tillman marktillman@comcast.net Regional Vice President - South James L. Crumel southvp@apa1906.net Regional Vice President - Southwest Roderick Smothers southwestvp@apa1906.net Regional Vice President - West Aaron Crutison westvp@apa1906.net Regional Assistant Vice President East Jonathan G. Leon eastavp@apa1906.net Regional Assistant Vice President Midwest Cameron Thierry midwestavp@apa1906.net Regional Assistant Vice President South Kenneth J. Wright Jr. southavp@apa1906.net Regional Assistant Vice President Southwest Christopher Harvey southwestavp@apa1906.net Regional Assistant Vice President West Mario Carroll westavp@apa1906.net General Counsel Keith A. Bishop keithbishop@keithbishoplaw.com

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Charles Henry Chapman

Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer William Douglass Lyle wdlylel@apa1906.net APPOINTED OFFICERS Historian Robert L. Harris, Jr. rlh10@cornell.edu Director of General Conventions Justin Shamell director.conventions@apa1906.net GENERAL CONVENTION OFFICIALS Parliamentarian Anderson C. Elridge, III aelridge1906@aol.com Chaplain William E. Flippin, Sr. srpastor@pineygrovebapt.org Sergeant of Arms Ron Russell ronstony@hotmail.com GENERAL CONVENTION COMMITTEES CHAIRMEN RULES & CREDENTIALS Desmond M. Ables desmondables@hotmail.com AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENT Herman Clifton Johnson jklift@bellsouth.net GRIEVANCES AND DISCIPLINE Hervery B. O. Young, Esq. pathfinder1906@juno.com STANDING COMMITTEES CHAIRMEN CONSTITUTION Ricky L. Blalock rlblalock@aol.com ENDOWMENT & CAPITAL FORMATION Robert L Wright rlwright@sentel.com BUDGET & FINANCE Frank Humphrey fhumphre@voyager.net ELECTIONS Thomas A. Phillips thomphilli10@aol.com MEMBERSHIP, STANDARDS & EXTENSION Melvin M. Stroble, Sr. mstroble@msn.com

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Eugene Kinckle Jones

PUBLICATIONS James W. Ward ward_jw@tsu.edu HISTORICAL COMMISSION Norman E.W. Towels betasigma7@msn.com PUBLIC POLICY Tyson King-Meadows kmcgrp@aol.com HUMAN RESOURCES Antonio I. M. Johnson, Esq. ajohnsonesq@gmail.com RACIAL JUSTICE (COMMISSION) Derrick Pope, Esq. dapope@bellsouth.net COLLEGE BROTHERS AFFAIRS (COMMISSION) Maurice D. Gipson mdgipson@gmail.com BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (COMMISSION) Cecil Howard, Esq. cehoward2@comcast.net LIFE MEMBERSHIP Charles P. Loeb, III cploeb@sbcglobal.net SPECIAL COMMITTEES CHAIRMEN ALPHA PHI ALPHA GOES GREEN INITIATIVE Sacoby Wilson wilsons2@mailbox.sc.edu ALPHA LITERACY INITIATIVE Vacant AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY Anton C. Bizzell antonbizzell@aol.com ALPHAS IN THE ACADEMY M. Christopher Brown mcb2@unlv.edu BELFORD V. LAWSON ORATORICAL Gregory L. Bailey gbailey@literacyaction.org BIG BROTHERS & BIG SISTERS Dale H. Long dale1906@verizon.net BOY SCOUTS Verdree Lockhart verdreel@aol.com BLACK AND GOLD PAGEANT Andre Prospere prosperea@bellsouth.net

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George Biddle Kelley

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Nathaniel Allison Murray

COLLEGE BROTHER AFFAIRS Mark Crain mcrain@gmail.com

POLITICAL ACTION Arthur Vaughn avaughn@spsu.edu

COLLEGE LIFE TO CORPORATE LIFE Nicholas B. Fletcher Nick.Fletcher@kellogg.com

RECLAMATION Bradley D. Thomas phdsocialwork@hotmail.com

COLLEGIATE SCHOLARS BOWL James “JI” Irvin JIrvin06@nemesispromotions.com

PROJECT ALPHA Byron D. Gautier projectalphacoordinator@apa.1906.net

HOUSING Jerryl E. Bennett jbennett91@mindspring.com

RITUAL & CEREMONIES Russell E. Flye phantom1906@charter.net

HEALTH & WELLNESS Michael A. Smith mas1906@aol.com

SENIOR ALPHA AFFAIRS Sylvester L. Shannon slshannon06@aol.com

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES Jamil Omar Buie jamil.buie@gmail.com

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Audrey L. Mackey amackey@austincc.edu

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEMORIAL INTERNAL FUNDRAISING Frank Russell, Jr. frj41@bellsouth.net

TIME AND PLACE Maurice Jenkins jenkinsmaurice@bellsouth.net

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Andre A. Moss aamoss@batelnet.bs

WALK AMERICA-MARCH OF DIMES Wilbert L. Brown wlb72@aol.com WORLD POLICY COUNCIL Horace G. Dawson, Jr. hdawson@howard.edu

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Brandon Tucker btucker921@aol.com

FOUNDATIONS CHAIRMEN

MEDIATION & ARBITRATION Edwin D. Givens, Esq. egivens@scsu.edu

EDUCATION FOUNDATION Waldo Johnson wejohnso@uchicago.edu

MILITARY BROTHERS Langston D. Smith ldsrcdoc@verizon.net

BUILDING FOUNDATION Robert “Bob” Leandras Jones, II leandras2@aol.com

MEMBERSHIP INTAKE TASK FORCE Walter Kimbrough wkimbrough@philander.edu

GENERAL PRESIDENT’S CABINET OFFICIALS

MIS / TECHNOLOGY Wendell D. Ferguson alpha3bebc@aol.com

Assistant to the General President and Chief of Staff Don Weston chief-of-staff@apa1906.net

NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES ADVISORY COUNCIL Darryl Bell darrylmbell@gmail.com

Assistant to the General President and Deputy Chief of Staff Keith Harris harriskr1906@gmail.com

NEW FRATERNAL PROGRAM INITIATIVES Ronald J. Peters rpeters20@comcast.net

Assistant to the General President and Senior Advisor James A. Wright jewright@bellsouth.net

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Robert Harold Ogle

SPECIAL ADVISORS TO THE GENERAL PRESIDENT Charles King charlesking1906@yahoo.com Calvin McNeill cmcnmd@aol.com Elvin Dowling ejdowling1906@gmail.com L. Sidney Gleaton gleato_s@bellsouth.net

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Vertner Woodson Tandy

VIP, Protocol and Logistics Chairman Robbie Stokes rstokes@apa1906.net Protocol and Logistics Anthony C. Hytche achytche@aol.com Transportation Chairman Ken Baskett kgbaskett@bellsouth.net PAST GENERAL PRESIDENTS

Joseph E. Heyward heywardj8@aol.com

32nd General President Darryl R. Matthews, Sr. darrylmatthews@apa1906.net

NATIONAL ARCHIVIST Jerome Offord, Jr. jeromeofford@aol.com

31st General President Harry E. Johnson, Sr. hej@flash.net

DEPUTY ASSISTANTS TO THE GENERAL PRESIDENT

30th General President Adrian L. Wallace alwallacea@aol.com

Governmental and International Affairs Marc Garcia getsmart06@aol.com SPECIAL ASSISTANTS TO THE GENERAL PRESIDENT M. Cole Jones mcolejones@gmail.com Robbie Stokes Administrative Assistant rstokes@apa1906.net Marques J. Wilkes mjwilkes1906@yahoo.com GENERAL PRESIDENT’S ADVANCE TEAM Chairman Warren Isenhour dub1906@yahoo.com Ian Coleman iancoleman3@gmail.com James McFadden mcfadden06@aol.com Solomon Graves solomon.graves@gmail.com

29th General President Milton C. Davis tuskmcd@aol.com 28th General President Henry Ponder ewilsonp@aol.com 27th General President Charles C. Teamer, Sr. cteamer@cox.net 26th General President Ozell Sutton 1640 Loch Lomond Trail, SW Atlanta GA 30331 (404) 344-0370 25th General President James Williams 1733 Brookwood Drive Akron, OH 44313 (330) 867-7536

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Corporate Office 2313 St. Paul St. Baltimore, MD 21218 (410) 554-0040 (410) 554-0054 Fax www.apa1906.net

ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Zollie J. Stevenson, Jr. zstevenson06@gmail.com

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Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity presents

2011 H THE YEAR OF OUR BROTHER KING: RETRACING THE “We must keep going in our struggle, with the faith that God lives. And they that stand with Him stand in the glow of the world’s bright tomorrow. And they that stand against Him stand in a tragic and an already declared minority. This is hope and this is our witness.”

-Brother Martin Luther King Jr. to the brothers of Alpha Upsilon Lambda, January 31, 1960

2011 SELECTED READINGS OF BROTHER MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. January: King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech; Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (1958) February: The Measure of a Man (1959) March: Strength to Love (1963) April: Why We Can’t Wait (1964) May: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967) June: The Trumpet of Conscience (1968) July: My Life with Martin Luther King Jr.

by Coretta Scott King

2011 SUGGESTED OBSERVANCES OF BROTHER MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. JANUARY 5-21

Observe and celebrate King’s birthday

JANUARY 15 • • • •

Pilgrimage to Atlanta, Georgia Visit King’s birth home and tomb Wreath-laying ceremony Salute to Greatness Dinner

JANUARY 16 Worship service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia

JANUARY 17 Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Ecumenical Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta

JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 5 • Alpha Phi Alpha journey to South Africa • Suggested reading: Conversations with Myself

by Nelson Mandela

FEBRUARY

JANUARY 14

Celebrate and observe Black History Month

• Pilgrimage to Montgomery, Alabama • Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church & Parsonage • Steps of Montgomery Courthouse

MARCH 5-6

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• Annual commemoration of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama • Commemorative march on the Edmund Pettis Bridge

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STEPS FROM MEMBERSHIP TO MOVEMENT TO MEMORIAL! APRIL 4

JULY 17

•

•

• Service project to aid senior Alpha brothers under the A. Charles Haston Brother’s Keeper Program

Observances of the death and legacy of King in Memphis, Tennessee Wreath-laying ceremony at Lorraine Motel in Memphis

AUGUST 23-28*

MAY-JUNE

• Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Dedication Weekend

• Celebration of “The King Scholars,” the Class of 2011 academic achievers

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26

JUNE 1

Observance of the Program Citizenship Rally: Operation 5000

JUNE 22 •

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105th Anniversary/91st General Convention in Chicago, Illinois Public-program celebration of 58th anniversary of Brother King’s initiation

JUNE 26 •

•

Community-service project: “Taking It to the Streets” in Chicago Alpha Phi Alpha addresses gun violence and murders in urban America

JULY Brother’s Keeper Program activities for senior brothers

• Radio Unity Day • Brothers’ private tour of the memorial and luncheon • Alpha Phi Alpha All-Star Salute: Life and Legacy of Brother Martin Luther King Jr., 8 p.m. at Constitution Hall (ticket required)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27 • Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation activities

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 Dedication of the Memorial, 10 a.m.

* Some events are ticketed. Additional details and registration information to be released.

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