Beta Omicron Chapter at Tennessee State University
celebrates 75th Anniversary

Alumni brothers following the 75th Anniversary Dinner of Beta Omicron Chapter gather for this group photo.

Picture 1: Alumni brothers following the 75th Anniversary Dinner of Beta Omicron Chapter gather for this group photo. Picture 2: General President Skip Mason and President Melvin Johnson with the current members of Beta Omicron Chapter along with Miss Black and Gold at the post dedication reception Picture 3: Beta Omicron's 75th Anniversary Banner Picture 4: General President Skip Mason and TSU President Melvin N. Johnson pose near the 7ft granite memorial.
 
Hundreds of brothers and friends gathered at the historic Tennessee State University in Nashville this past weekend, during the college’s annual homecoming, to pay tribute to the founders and legacy of Beta Omicron Chapter.
General President Skip Mason and President Melvin Johnson with the current members of Beta Omicron Chapter along with Miss Black and Gold at the post dedication reception 
Alpha’s presence on the campus began 75 years ago--the university was established in 1912. University President Melvin N. Johnson, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and members of the planning committee played host to family, friends, Alpha men and other guests, including Alpha General President Herman “Skip” Mason Jr.
 
Also on hand for a magnificent weekend of events and activities were Brothers Fred Humphries, a former TSU president and James R. Crumel, Southern Region vice president. Chapter lines from the past 75 years reunited and reflected on their journey into Alpha.
 
The weekend included a 75th Anniversary Gala and Dinner where Mason recounted the storied history of Beta Omicron and reminded the audience that a year after its establishment, the chapter helped to host the 25th Anniversary Convention at the TSU campus. It was a convention in which Jewels Henry Arthur Callis, Robert Harold Ogle and George Biddle Kelly walked the sacred grounds of the Nashville university.
 
Mason charged the alumni to remain committed to the fraternity’s causes and reminded the college brothers to stay active.
 
Brother Damon Lee, Jr., the only living founder, could not attend but shared his thoughts via a video presentation introduced by his son. One of the highlights of the weekend was the unveiling of a granite marker on a prime corner on the main campus to celebrate the chapter’s founding and legacy.
 
The marker project was initiated five years ago and the fraternity brothers General President Skip Mason and TSU President Melvin N. Johnson pose near the 7ft granite memorial.raised more than  $100,000 to erect what is one of the finest monuments honoring the fraternity’s legacy on any college campus. Following the dedication, the current brothers of Beta Omicron hosted a program and reception and highlighted their continued great work and service to the college campus and surrounding community. Even Miss Tennessee State University is the reigning district Miss Black and Gold. The presence of Alpha could be seen and heard throughout the homecoming weekend.
 
Founded in 1934, Beta Omicron Chapter has initiated hundreds of men since its inception including the Honorable Harvey Johnson, first African-American Mayor of Jackson, Miss.; Clarence Branch, former Southern Region Assistant Vice President, A.C. Wharton, newly-elected Mayor of Memphis, Tenn.; the Honorable Harold Ford Sr., former U.S. Congressman; Frank Russell, Fundraising Chair for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Dr. Thomas Gaiter, Howard University Chief Medical Officer, who served as the grand marshal for the homecoming parade.

 

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About Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. The fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights, through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity through its college and alumni chapters serves the community through nearly a thousand chapters in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. For more information, please visit www.apa1906.net.

 

 

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