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Founding Information

• When was Alpha Phi Alpha founded?

Tuesday, December 4, 1906

• Where was Alpha Phi Alpha founded?

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

Current Leadership

• Current General President:

Lucien J. Metellus, Jr.

• Current Eastern Regional Officers:

• Regional Vice President: Christopher G. Ellis, Jr.

• Regional Assistant Vice President: Yousif N. Omer

• Current Executive Director:

Alfred Glass

• Current Assistant Executive Director:

Jordan Moody

Significant Figures

• Who is known as the Mother of Alpha and why?

Mrs. Annie C. Singleton — Hosted early meetings and fed and encouraged the brothers.

• Who was the first General President?

Big Brother Moses A. Morrison

• Who was the first life member of Alpha Phi Alpha?

O. Wilson Winters

• Who was the last founder to pass?

Jewel Big Brother Henry Arthur Callis

Incorporation Information

• When and where did the first incorporation take place?

January 29, 1908, in Albany, NY

• When and where did the second incorporation take place?

April 3, 1912, in Washington, DC

Jewels and Their Occupations

• Henry Arthur Callis: Physician

• Charles Henry Chapman: Educator

• Eugene Kinkle Jones: Executive Secretary of the National Urban League

• George Biddle Kelley: Civil Engineer

• Nathaniel Allison Murray: Educator

• Robert Harold Ogle: Secretary

• Vertner Woodson Tandy: Architect

First Alumni Chapter

• What was the first Alumni Chapter and where was it established?

Alpha Lambda, Louisville, KY, 1911

First Initiates

• Who were the first initiates?

• Gordon Jones

• Eugene Kinkle Jones

• Lemuel Graves

First General Convention

• Where was the first General Convention held?

4th Floor of the Main Building at Howard University in the former Howard Journal room

First Honorary Members

• Who were the first honorary members?

• Mr. George Fletcher

• Reverend E.U.A. Brooks

Fraternity Literature

• What is the last sentence of “If”?

“Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, and which is more you’ll be a man, my son!”

• What is the full title of the history book?

The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in College Life by Charles H. Wesley

• Who is the book dedicated to?

“To the youths who march onward and upward towards the Light this volume is respectfully dedicated.”

First 7 Chapters of the History Book

1. The Origin of Alpha Phi Alpha

2. The Period of Consolidation

3. The First Steps in Expansion

4. Local and National Strivings

5. Permanent Foundation

6. Expansion and Internal Development

7. The Leaven of Self-Examination

Fraternity Naming and Rituals

• Who proposed the name of the fraternity and who received credit?

Jewel Big Brother George Biddle Kelley (credited Jewel Big Brother Henry Arthur Callis)

• Where was the first initiation held?

Odd Fellows Hall, Masonic Hall, or Redman’s Hall

• Who wrote the first ritual?

Jewels George Biddle Kelley and Robert Harold Ogle

• Who wrote the second ritual and what was significant about it?

Jewels Henry Arthur Callis and Eugene Kinkle Jones — written from memory by one who executed it and one who experienced it.

First Editor of The Sphinx

• Who was the first editor of The Sphinx?

Raymond W. Cannon

Significance of Lambda and Omega Chapters

• What does Lambda signify in Alpha Chapter names?

It designates Alumni Chapters.

• What chapter is reserved for deceased members?

Omega Chapter

Fraternity Symbols and Colors

• Who designed the first shield?

Big Brother James A. Dunn

• Who designed the shingle?

Jewel Big Brother Henry Arthur Callis

• What are the fraternity colors and who proposed them?

Old Gold and Black — Proposed by Jewel Big Brother Robert Harold Ogle

First and Last Designated Jewels

• Who was the last Jewel to be designated and when?

Jewel Big Brother Eugene Kinkle Jones at the 38th General Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, December 30, 1952

Fraternity Objectives, Mission, and Aims

• Education Program: Go to High School, Go to College

• Voting Program: A Voteless People is a Hopeless People

General Conventions and Upcoming Events

• Where and when is the next General Convention?

July 16-20, 2025, Philadelphia, PA

First 10 Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha

1. Alpha Chapter: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

2. Beta Chapter: Howard University, Washington, DC

3. Gamma Chapter: Virginia Union University, Richmond, VA

4. Delta Chapter: University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (now Tillotson College, Austin, TX)

5. Epsilon Chapter: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

6. Zeta Chapter: Yale University, New Haven, CT

7. Eta Chapter: Columbia University, New York, NY

8. Theta Chapter: University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana, Northwestern University

9. Iota Chapter: Syracuse University, now Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA

10. Kappa Chapter: Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

First 5 General Presidents

1. Moses A. Morrison

2. Roscoe C. Giles

3. Frederick H. Miller

4. Charles H. Garvin

5. Henry L. Dickason

Famous Alphas by Field

• Education: Charles Henry Chapman, Herman Branson

• Business: Robert F. Smith, John H. Johnson

• Politics: Gov. Wes Moore, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Entertainment: Keenan Ivory Wayans, Paul Robeson

• Athletics: Jesse Owens, Wes Unseld

• Medicine: Henry Arthur Callis, Dr. Levi Watkins Jr.

• Law: Thurgood Marshall, Charles Houston

Current Executive Officers

• General President: Lucien J. Metellus, Jr.

• Executive Director: Sean L. McCaskill

• General Treasurer: Densel V. Fleming

• General Comptroller: Wardell Glass, Jr.

Regional Vice Presidents and Assistant Vice Presidents

• Eastern Region: Christopher G. Ellis, Jr. / Yousif N. Omer

• Midwestern Region: Franklin Stacy, Jr. / Johnnie E. Brooker, III

• Southern Region: Cecil E. Howard, Esq. / Jeffrey E. Carter, Jr.

• Southwestern Region: Jeramaine O. Netherly / Terrell L. “TJ” Woodard, Jr.

• Western Region: Wayne M. Kimball, Jr. / Senay Zedingel

Bible Verse (Ruth 1:16-17)

“Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go…”