Alpha Phi Alpha Pretest for IMDP

Cornell University, 1905-1906

Where Alpha Phi Alpha's founders first began meeting informally (Autumn 1905)

The 8 original undergrads

Henry Arthur Callis, Vertner W. Tandy, George B. Kelley, Charles Henry Chapman, Nathaniel A. Murray, Robert H. Ogle, Morgan T. Phillips, George Tompkins

C. C. Poindexter

The 9th, older member of the founding group; College of Agriculture student

The two early competing visions

A social/literary study club vs. a Greek-letter fraternity

First meeting

Held at Poindexter's lodging (residence of Edward Newton, 421 N. Albany St); decided to form a social study club

March 1906 meeting

Held at Archie Singleton's residence, 411 East State Street

June 2, 1906

First officers elected at Murray's rooms: Poindexter (president), Callis (secretary), Kelley (treasurer)

Pi Gamma Omicron incident

Ogle's false lead on an Ohio State fraternity; registrar denied it, dampening the fraternal push

October 16, 1906

Meetings set for Tuesdays 8PM; dues 50 cents/year; initiation fee $1.00

October 23, 1906

The name "Alpha Phi Alpha" chosen, moved by George B. Kelley

Name credit

Callis is credited with the name (per Kelley); Callis and Jones (who knew Greek) worked it out

Colors

Old gold and black, proposed by Robert H. Ogle

October 27, 1906

Ogle's motion establishing open hand = yes, closed fist = no vote

Mrs. Rose Cohen

Hostess paid $5 for banquet services (Oct 27, 1906)

First Initiation

Oct 30, 1906 at Masonic Hall (Odd Fellows/Red Men's Hall); initiates E. K. Jones, Lemuel Graves, Gordon Jones

James H. Morton

Added without formal initiation, like Tompkins

First Annual Banquet toastmaster

Kelley, topic "Why Organize?"

December 4, 1906

THE DECISION / true Founders' Day: majority voted to become a fraternity (Murray's motion)

Organization committee (Dec 4, 1906)

Chapman, Callis, Morton, E. K. Jones, Murray

Why Poindexter resigned

Believed Black Americans lacked the cultural framework yet for a college fraternity

Why Tompkins resigned

Said he could not belong to a fraternity

January 8, 1907

Constitution/by-laws committee appointed: Callis, Morton, Murray, Graves, E. K. Jones

Two landmark founding dates

Oct 23, 1906 (name chosen) and Dec 4, 1906 (decision to become a fraternity, preferred "birthday")

Poindexter's later status

"Precursor" of the fraternity

Gordon Jones & Lemuel Graves

Joined at first initiation before the fraternity decision; not Jewels

The Seven Jewels

George B. Kelley, Henry A. Callis, Charles H. Chapman, Nathaniel A. Murray, Vertner W. Tandy, Robert H. Ogle, Eugene Kinckle Jones

George B. Kelley (career)

Civil engineer, State of New York

Henry A. Callis (career)

Physician, Government hospital, Tuskegee, AL

Charles H. Chapman (career)

Educator, Florida A&M College

Nathaniel A. Murray (career)

Educator, Armstrong Technical High School, DC

Vertner W. Tandy (career)

Registered architect (NYC); first Black man commissioned First Lieutenant, 15th Infantry NY National Guard

Robert H. Ogle (career)

Secretarial field, U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations

Eugene Kinckle Jones

"Disputed seventh Jewel"; not at Cornell in 1905-06 but present Dec 4, 1906 as first initiate; later Executive Secretary of the National Urban League

Morton's job

Headwaiter, Sage College Dining Room; advanced personal funds to the fraternity

October 5, 1907 officers

E. K. Jones (president), Ogle (secretary), Tandy (treasurer)

Second Annual Banquet

Oct 26, 1907, Mrs. Rose Cohen's; Callis toastmaster

Pin designer

Vertner W. Tandy

Pin jeweler

Stephen Lane Folger (via E. K. Jones's Virginia Union connection)

Pin design chosen

Design #3, Dec 7, 1907; twenty pins at $3.00 each

Constitution timeline

First drawn Jan 1907; revised item-by-item Dec 14, 1907

Ritual history

Written 1906 by Kelley and Ogle; lost Fall 1907; rewritten from memory by Callis and E. K. Jones

Incorporation vote

Jan 18, 1908, Young Colored Men's Club, unanimous (Callis's motion, Tandy's second)

Incorporation filed

NY Secretary of State, Jan 29, 1908, under Membership Corporation Law

Incorporation trustees

Kelley, E. K. Jones, Callis, Tandy, Graves

Beta Chapter

Dec 20, 1907, Howard University; made by E. K. Jones with Murray; 19 men

Why Cornell/Howard pairing matters

Cornell = first at a major white institution; Howard = first at a Black institution; together = first national intercollegiate Black Greek fraternity

Gamma Chapter

Dec 30, 1907, Virginia Union University; made by E. K. Jones (his alma mater)

Beta's "Tap Day"

Nov 13, 1908 public tapping event; Alpha disapproved and it was discontinued

First honorary member

George Fletcher, April 26, 1907

Second honorary member

Rev. E. U. A. Brooks, Feb 29, 1908

Honorary members ended

May 15, 1909

Delta Chapter

Easter 1908, University of Toronto; made without prior approval by E. K. Jones and Tandy; did not survive

First General Convention

Dec 28-30, 1908, Howard University; triggered by reaching four chapters

First General Officers (1908)

President Moses Alvin Morrison (Beta), VP Henry A. Callis (Alpha), Secretary S. S. Booker (Gamma), Treasurer Roscoe C. Giles (Alpha)

Result of First General Convention

Control passed from Alpha Chapter to the General Convention

Freshman Committee

Scholarship-enforcement system with weekly report cards, chaired by Graves

Fraternity house project

Jan 3, 1909, Giles's proposal for a $3,000 house; abandoned as impractical

Epsilon Chapter

April 10, 1909, University of Michigan; made by Callis

Zeta Chapter

April 10, 1909, Yale University; made by Giles; notable for Yale's conservative racial climate

Eta Chapter

June 5, 1909, Columbia University; organized by Giles and Graves under Callis

Iota Chapter

March 28, 1910, Syracuse University; eighth chapter of the General Organization

Second Annual Convention

Dec 27-29, 1909, Richmond, VA (relocated to New York mid-convention)

Officers elected at Second Convention (1909)

President Roscoe C. Giles (Alpha), VP W. Thorne (Epsilon), Secretary S. S. Booker (Gamma), Treasurer N. P. Q. Adams (Beta)