Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. District of Illinois Aspirant Information Handbook

Handbook Overview and District Leadership

  • Organization: ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC.
  • District: DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
  • Handbook Title: ASPIRANT INFORMATION HANDBOOK: THE ASPIRANT'S GUIDE TO THE ALPHA PHI ALPHA MEMBERSHIP INTAKE PROCESS
  • District Leadership (Transcript Page 1):
    • District Director: ELGIE R. SIMS, JR., Esq.
    • Executive Director: MARLON WEBB
    • Asst. District Director: GERARD TAYLOR
    • Assistant Executive Director: RAY BESST

History Book Titles and Authorship

  • Original Title: The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in Negro College Life
  • Current Title: The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in College Life
  • Dedication: "To the Youths who march onward and upward toward the light, this volume is respectfully dedicated"
  • Core Chapters:
    • FIRST CHAPTER: The Origin of Alpha Phi Alpha
    • SECOND CHAPTER: The Period of Consolidation
    • THIRD CHAPTER: The First Steps in Expansion
  • Author: Brother Charles Harris Wesley
    • Chapter Affiliation: Zeta Chapter, Yale University
    • General Presidency: 14th General President (1932–40)
    • Professional Role: President of Central State College

Chapter 1: The Origin of Alpha Phi Alpha

  • Stages of Development:

    1. Club: Social Study Club began in the Fall of 1905.
    2. Organization: Fall of 1906.
    3. Society: Alpha Phi Alpha Society established October 23, 1906.

  • Social Study Club Details:

    • First Meeting Place: 421 North Albany Street, Ithaca, New York (Home of Mr. Edward Newton and residence of C.C. Poindexter).
    • Attendance: Nine (9) students attended the first meeting.
    • Venue Change (March 1906): Moved to 411 East State Street, the home of Mr. Archie and Mrs. Annie B. Singleton.
    • Mother of the Fraternity: Mrs. Annie B. Singleton.
    • Residents of 411 East State Street: Jewel Robert Harold Ogle and Mr. Morgan T. Phillips.

  • Organizational Phase (Fall 1906):

    • Officer Election (June 2, 1906):
      • C.C. Poindexter: President
      • Jewel Henry Arthur Callis: Secretary
      • Jewel George Biddle Kelley: Treasurer
    • Meeting Location: The room of Jewel Nathaniel Allison Murray.
    • Banquet Provision: Set for June 9, 1906.
    • Organizational Meeting (October 16, 1906):
      • Meeting Schedule: Tuesdays.
      • Dues: 0.500.50 cent per year.
      • Initiation Fee: 1.001.00.

  • Alpha Phi Alpha Society (October 1906):

    • Naming (October 23, 1906): Jewel George Biddle Kelley made the motion to name the group the "Alpha Phi Alpha Society."
    • Society Colors: Jewel Robert Harold Ogle proposed Old Gold and Black.
    • Voting Sign (October 27, 1906): Jewel Robert Harold Ogle made the motion for the voting sign of Alpha.

  • First Initiation Banquet (October 30, 1906):

    • Location: Masonic Hall (also known as Odd Fellow Hall and Red Men's Hall).
    • First Initiates:
      1. Jewel Eugene Kinckle Jones
      2. Brother Lemuel E. Graves
      3. Brother Gordon Jones
    • Full Menu:
      • Cream Tomato Soup
      • Salted Wafers
      • Broiled Lamb Chops
      • Hashed Brown Potatoes
      • Peas in Tubs
      • Shrimp Salad
      • Olives
      • Finger Rolls
      • Wild Apple Jelly
      • Rolled Bread
      • Pickles
      • Neapolitan Ice Cream
      • Lady Fingers
      • Chocolate Cake
      • Demi-Tasse
      • Crackers
      • Cheese
      • Alpha Phi Alpha Punch
      • Brotherhood Smoke

Founding and Official Symbols

  • Official Founding Date: December 4, 1906, at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

  • Fraternity Motion: Jewel Nathaniel Allison Murray made the motion to become a Fraternity.

  • The Precursor: C.C. Poindexter.

    • His letter of resignation was the first order of business on Dec 4, 1906.
    • He believed the Negro in America had no cultural background for a college fraternity and it should be work for a later period.

  • Fraternity Shield:

    • First Shield: Approved December 27, 1911, at the Fourth Annual Convention (Ann Arbor, Michigan); designed by James A. Dunn (Kappa Chapter).
    • Second Shield: Designed by Ferdinand L. Rousseve (Sigma Lambda Chapter).
    • Restrictions: The Shield is the official emblem and cannot be used on rings, sweetheart pins, small jewelry, sweaters, or fraternity house equipment.\n

  • Fraternity Coat of Arms:

    • Introduced by John W. Fleming at the Thirty-sixth General Convention in Kansas City, MO, December 1950.
    • Approved Usage: Officially approved for rings, sweetheart pins, small jewelry, sweaters, and fraternity house equipment.

Values, Objectives, and Mission

  • Objectives: To stimulate the ambition of its members; to prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the causes of humanity, freedom and dignity of the individual, to encourage the highest and noblest form of manhood, and to aid downtrodden humanity in its efforts to achieve higher social, economic, and intellectual status.
  • Aims: Manly Deeds, Scholarship and Love for all Mankind.
  • Fraternity Motto: "First of All, Servants of All, We shall transcend All."
  • Mission Statement: ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.

Periods of Consolidation and Expansion

  • Fraternity Ritual:

    • The first ritual was written by Jewel George Biddle Kelley and Jewel Robert Harold Ogle.
    • After the original was lost, Jewels Henry Arthur Callis and Eugene Kinckle Jones wrote a new one from memory.

  • Incorporation:

    • First Date: January 29, 1908 — Board of Directors signature; incorporated in the state of New York at a cost of 25.2725.27.
    • Second Date: April 3, 1912, in Washington D.C.

  • The Fraternity Grip: Jewels Murray, Tandy, and Kelley worked on the Committee on the Fraternity Grip.

  • Alpha Chapter Leadership: First President was Jewel George Biddle Kelley.

  • Expansion and Honorary Members:

    • Brother George Fletcher: Former law student, University of Michigan (April 26, 1907).
    • Brother Rev. E.U.A. Brooks: Graduate of Cornell University law school.
    • Modern Policy: The Fraternity no longer makes honorary members.

General Information and Designations

  • General Convention: The sole and supreme legislative body with power to enact legislation for the organization.

    • 1st General Convention: Held at Howard University, Washington D.C., hosted by Beta Chapter.
    • 1st General Officers:
      • General President: Moses Alvin Morrison
      • Vice-President: Jewel Henry Arthur Callis
      • Secretary: S.S. Booker
      • Treasurer: Roscoe C. Giles

  • Chapter Designations:

    • Omega Chapter: Established in 1920; reserved for deceased Brothers.
    • Lambda Chapter: The Greek letter Lambda (Λ\Lambda) used as a suffix signifies an Alumni Chapter.
    • First Alumni Chapter: Alpha Lambda (Louisville, Kentucky), established by Jewel Eugene Kinckle Jones.

  • Fraternity Symbols:

    • Official Flower: The Yellow Rose.
    • Official Magazine: The Sphinx.
      • Established May 1914.
      • First editor: Raymond W. Cannon.
      • Second oldest African American publication in the Nation.

  • Life Membership:

    • Exempt from paying Grand Tax.
    • Life Member #1: O. Wilson Winters.

General Presidents of Alpha Phi Alpha

  1. M. A. Morrison (1908–1909)
  2. Roscoe C. Giles (1909–1911)
  3. Frederick H. Miller (1911–1912)
  4. Charles H. Garvin (1912–1914)
  5. Henry L. Dickason (1914–1915)
  6. Henry A. Callis (1915–1916)
  7. Howard H. Long (1916–1917)
  8. William A. Pollard (1918–1919)
  9. Daniel D. Fowler (1919–1920)
  10. Lucius L. McGee (1920–1921)
  11. S. S. Booker (1921–1923)
  12. Raymond W. Cannon (1924–1928)
  13. B. Andrew Rose (1928–1931)
  14. Charles H. Wesley (1931–1940)
  15. Rayford W. Logan (1941–1945)
  16. Belford V. Lawson, Jr. (1946–1951)
  17. Maceo Smith (1951–1954)
  18. Frank L. Stanley, Jr. (1955–1957)
  19. Myles A. Paige (1957–1960)
  20. William H. Hale (1960–1962)
  21. T. Winston Cole, Sr. (1963–1964)
  22. Lionel H. Newsom (1965–1968)
  23. Ernest N. Morial (1969–1972)
  24. Walter Washington (1973–1976)
  25. James R. Williams (1977–1980)
  26. Ozell Sutton (1981–1984)
  27. Charles C. Teamer, Sr. (1985–1988)
  28. Henry Ponder (1989–1992)
  29. Milton C. Davis (1993–1996)
  30. Adrian L. Wallace (1997–2000)
  31. Harry Johnson, Esq. (2001–2004)
  32. Darryl R. Matthews Sr. (2005–2009)
  33. Herman "Skip" Mason, Jr. (2009–)

Executive Leadership

  • General Officers (Current as of Transcript):

    • General President: HERMAN ‐SKIP‐ MASON, JR.
    • Immediate Past General President: DARRYL R. MATTHEWS SR.
    • Executive Director: WILLIAM D. LYLE
    • General Treasurer: HYACINTH C. AHURUONYE
    • Comptroller: FRANK A. JENKINS III
    • General Counsel: KEITH A. BISHOP
    • Parliamentarian: ANDERSON C. ELDRIDGE, III

  • Midwestern Regional Officers:

    • Regional Vice President: MARK S. TILLMAN
    • Assistant Regional Vice President: CAMERON THIERRY

  • District of Illinois Officers:

    • District Director: ELGIE R. SIMS, JR., Esq.
    • Assistant District Director: GERARD TAYLOR
    • Assistant Executive Director: RAY BESST
    • Associate Executive Director: MIKE BOYD
    • Treasurer: ED ROGERS
    • Secretary: FREDRIC J. MITCHELL
    • Corresponding Secretary: CURTIS CHILDRESS, JR.

  • District of Illinois Area Directors:

    • 2001: MAURICE THOMAS
    • 2002: NIC CRITE
    • 2003: QUINCY BANKS
    • 2004: PAUL MURRAY
    • 2005: BRYAN BRADLEY
    • 2006: FRANK STACY
    • 2007: WILLIAM CAMPBELL
    • 2008: MICHAEL GAINES
    • 2009: JOHN REEVES
    • 2010: JAMIE HOGUE
    • 2011: RYZELL MCKINNEY
    • 2012: BRANDON CAFFEY

National Programs

  • Go-To-High School, Go-To-College (Est. 1920): Focuses on completing secondary and collegiate education as the best predictor of future economic success.
  • Project Alpha: Collaborative effort with March of Dimes; focuses on teenage pregnancy prevention from the male perspective and promoting responsible attitudes.
  • A Voteless People is a Hopeless People (Est. 1930s): Focuses on voter education, registration, and political awareness/empowerment.
  • Brother’s Keepers: Newest program; provides service and recognition to senior or disabled Alpha Brothers and their widows (e.g., yard work, home repairs, fellowship).

Special Projects

  1. Alpha Head Start: Fatherhood mentoring initiative.
  2. Big Brothers/Big Sisters: Mentoring partnership for African-American boys (Est. 1991).
  3. Boy Scouts of America: Mentoring through the Scouting program.
  4. Leadership Development Institute (LDI): Prepares high school students for leadership and college.
  5. MLK Jr. Memorial Foundation: Construction of a memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  6. College Life to Corporate Life (C2C): Development of human resources and corporate partnerships.
  7. Jewels Project: Reclaiming historical sites: 421 N. Albany and 411 E. State in Ithaca, NY.

The First Ten Chapters

  1. ALPHA: Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), December 4, 1906.
  2. BETA: Howard University (Washington, D.C.), December 20, 1907.
  3. GAMMA: Virginia Union University (Richmond, VA), December 30, 1907.
  4. DELTA: Originally Univ. of Toronto (1908); now Huston Tillotson College (Austin, TX), 1939.
  5. EPSILON: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI), April 10, 1909.
  6. ZETA: Yale University (New Haven, CT), April 10, 1909.
  7. ETA: Columbia University (New York, NY), June 5, 1909.
  8. THETA: University of Chicago, Univ. of Illinois (Urbana), and Northwestern University, February 21, 1910 (Now Delta Zeta).
  9. IOTA: Originally Syracuse University (3/28/10); now Morris Brown College (Atlanta, GA), 1941.
  10. KAPPA: Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), January 13, 1911.

College and Alumni Chapters in Illinois

  • College Chapters:

    • Theta (Chicago): UIC & Loyola
    • Tau: UIUC
    • Alpha Mu: Northwestern
    • Beta Eta: SIU-Carbondale
    • Epsilon Kappa: Bradley University
    • Epsilon Phi: NIU
    • Zeta Nu: Eastern Illinois
    • Eta Eta: Western Illinois
    • Eta Tau: Illinois State
    • Theta Omicron: Millikin University
    • Iota Pi: SIU-Edwardsville
    • Mu Mu: Elmhurst & Lewis University
    • Nu Delta: Chicago State
    • Nu Rho: IIT & DePaul
    • Omicron Xi: Roosevelt University
    • Pi Sigma: Aurora & North Central College

  • Alumni Chapters:

    • Xi Lambda: Chicago
    • Delta Epsilon Lambda: East St. Louis
    • Zeta Xi Lambda: Champaign
    • Theta Mu Lambda: Joliet
    • Iota Delta Lambda: Chicago
    • Kappa Pi Lambda: Peoria
    • Kappa Chi Lambda: Waukegan
    • Mu Alpha Lambda: DeKalb
    • Mu Delta Lambda: Springfield
    • Mu Kappa Lambda: Carbondale
    • Mu Mu Lambda: Glen Ellyn
    • Mu Chi Lambda: Rock Island
    • Nu Psi Lambda: Bloomington
    • Rho Zeta Lambda: Evanston

The Greek Alphabet

LetterNamePronunciation
A\text{A}ALPHAal-fah
B\text{B}BETAbay-tah
Γ\GammaGAMMAgam-ah
Δ\DeltaDELTAdel-ta
E\text{E}EPSILONep-si-lon
Z\text{Z}ZETAzay-tah
H\text{H}ETAay-tah
Θ\ThetaTHETAthay-tah
I\text{I}IOTAeye-o-tah
K\text{K}KAPPAcap-ah
Λ\LambdaLAMBDAlamb-dah
M\text{M}MUmew
N\text{N}NUnew
Ξ\XiXIzzI
O\text{O}OMICRONom-i-cron
Π\PiPIpie
P\text{P}RHOro
Σ\SigmaSIGMAsig-mah
T\text{T}TAUtaw
Υ\UpsilonUPSILONup-si-lon
Φ\PhiPHIfie
X\text{X}CHIkI
Ψ\PsiPSIsigh
Ω\OmegaOMEGAo-may-gah

The Seven Jewels (Founders)

  • Jewel Henry Arthur Callis:

    • Born: January 14, 1887, Rochester, NY.
    • Mother was second cousin to Frederick Douglass.
    • Credential: Medical Doctor (M.D.) from Rush Medical College.
    • Roles: President of Alpha Chapter; wrote 2nd Ritual; designed Fraternity Shingle; Only Jewel to serve as General President (elected Dec 1914 while in Theta Chapter).
    • Omega Chapter: Enter Nov 12, 1974 (the last Jewel to enter).

  • Jewel Charles Henry Chapman:

    • Born: 1876; older student at Cornell studying agriculture.
    • Roles: Chaired 1st Committee on Initiations; Chairman of Committee on Organizations.
    • Career: Professor at Florida A&M University; Head of Agri Dept.
    • Omega Chapter: Entered Nov 17, 1934 (first Jewel to enter).

  • Jewel Eugene Kinckle Jones:

    • Born: July 30, 1885, Richmond, VA.
    • Roles: One of the first initiates (Oct 30, 1906); established Gamma, Delta, and Alpha Lambda Chapters.
    • Career: Executive Secretary of the National Urban League (1911–1951).
    • Designation: Named a "Jewel" at the 38th General Convention (1952) because he was a motivator of ideas.

  • Jewel George Biddle Kelley:

    • Born: July 28, 1884, Troy, NY.
    • Roles: First President of Alpha Chapter; credited with naming the Fraternity; wrote 1st Ritual; Civil Engineer.
    • Speech: "Alpha needs Quality not Quantity" (18th General Convention).
    • Omega Chapter: Entered May 5, 1962.

  • Jewel Nathaniel Allison Murray:

    • Family was part of the "Washington Colored Aristocracy."
    • Roles: Seconded the motion to become a Fraternity; Chartered Mu Lambda Chapter.
    • Career: Instructor at Armstrong Manual Training School.
    • Omega Chapter: Entered December 6, 1959.

  • Jewel Robert Harold Ogle:

    • Born: April 3, 1886, Washington D.C.
    • Roles: First Secretary of Alpha Chapter; proposed Fraternity colors; wrote 1st Ritual with Kelley; authored first fraternity song with Brother J.P. Boags.
    • Career: Secretary to the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. Senate.
    • Omega Chapter: Entered December 3, 1936.

  • Jewel Vertner Woodson Tandy:

    • Born: May 17, 1885, Lexington, KY.
    • Roles: Architect; designed original Fraternity Pin (lost in snow); first black man commissioned as an Officer in the State of NY (WWI).
    • Education: Transferred to Cornell after one year at Tuskegee.
    • Omega Chapter: Entered November 7, 1949.

Fraternal Literature and Poetry

  • "Invictus" (William Ernest Henley): Emphasizes an unconquerable soul and mastery of fate: "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."
  • "The Test of a Man" (Author Unknown): Defines character by how one handles life's bumps and blows: "It isn't the victory after all, But the fight that a Brother makes."
  • "If" (Rudyard Kipling): A series of conditions for manhood, focusing on patience, integrity, and resilience: "If you can fill the unforgiving minute / With sixty seconds' worth of distance run…"
  • "The Man Who Thinks He Can" (Walter D. Wintle): Success as a state of mind: "…the man who wins / Is the one who thinks he can!"
  • "There Goes An Alpha Man" (Peter Clarke): Describes the dignity and service of an Alpha: "There goes a man too vigilant / To bow to lust or greed."
  • "To Be An Alpha Man" (Fred H. Woodruff): Stresses qualities deeper than wearing a pin, including devotion and brotherhood: "For a man without these virtues isn't worth a grain of sand."
  • "House of Alpha" (Sydney P. Brown): Defines Alpha as the "university of Brotherly love" and a "school for the better making of men."

Esprit de Fraternite and Protocols

  • Esprit de Fraternite (Charles H. Garvin): Focuses on what a member can do for the Fraternity rather than what they derive from it.

  • Four Duties of a Member:

    1. Prompt payment of all financial obligations.
    2. Doing good scholastic work.
    3. Reasonable participation/excellence in college activities and social service.
    4. Attention to high moral standards.

  • Alpha Phi Alpha Hymn (A.L. Simpson):

    • Adopted Dec 27, 1921, at the 14th Convention.
    • Theme: Fraternal spirit binding the noble and true; aims of manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind.

  • Alpha Phi Alpha Prayer (A. Wayman Ward):

    • Adopted Dec 28–31, 1933, at the 26th Anniversary Convention.
    • Text: "May the True Spirit of fraternity Rule our hearts, guide our thoughts, And control our lives, so that we may become, Through Thee, Servants of All."

Twelve Ways to Kill an Organization

  1. Do Not attend meetings or arrive late.
  2. Leave before it is over.
  3. Find fault with officers next day.
  4. Take no part in affairs.
  5. Sit in back and talk during the meeting.
  6. Get everything but give nothing.
  7. Never ask anyone to join.
  8. Talk cooperation but never cooperate.
  9. Say you don't have time when asked for help.
  10. Never accept an office (easier to criticize).
  11. Give no service to committees.
  12. Howl that the organization is run by a "clique" when others lead.