Omega Rho

Birthdate: August 22, 1931

Omega Rho: June 29, 2023

Margaret Ruth Morgan Bourne was born on August 22, 1931, in Durham, North Carolina. The oldest of five siblings, she attended Durham Public Schools, graduating from Hillside High School in 1949. Soror Bourne received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from North Carolina Central College (University) in 1953. During her collegiate years, she participated in many activities, including the NCCU Marching Band, where she played the saxophone. She joined Sigma Gamma Rho while at NCCU; in fact, she was a charter member of the Beta Omicron Chapter in 1952. Following graduation, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, to build her life and joined the Kappa Sigma Chapter.

Her career in public service began as a Social Worker. However, Soror Bourne spent most of her years teaching in the New York Public School System at I.S. 55 in Brooklyn until retiring in 1991. Throughout her career, she was an advocate for excellence in education, mentoring, and encouraging many students, including her nieces and nephews, to seek opportunities to advance their eventual careers. Notable in her journey, she also participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Soror Bourne traveled and shared many experiences through Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and the North Carolina Central University Alumni Association.

Margaret Ruth Morgan Bourne will be remembered for her passion for learning and awareness of social injustice issues. She will be cherished for her generosity and great love for her family, especially her son, along with her nieces and nephews.

Birthdate: December 23, 1928

Omega Rho: March 4, 2023

Soror Doris Smith was born on December 28, 1928, in Edinburg, Arkansas, to the late Jodie Marks and late Bertha (Jenkins) Marks. Her late husband, Wendell Smith, preceded her in death. She was a charter member of the Gamma Chi Sigma Chapter in Wichita, Kansas, which was chartered on June 17, 1967. Soror Smith transitioned to Omega Rho on March 4, 2023.

Sylvia

Soror Sylvia Nichols was inducted into the Alpha Eta Sigma Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter in January 1990. Soror Nichols served as the chapter’s Grammateus for several terms during the 1990s. She was an educator for the Philadelphia Public School system and actively served Sigma for 32 years before transitioning to Omega Rho on November 1, 2022.